Hand of Sorrow
by The 37th Butcher
Summary: As Jaden's second year closes, Domino is set ablaze with a dark phenomenon. Pro League Duelists are falling comatose, with no prior issues or warning signs. When a casual investigation turns up a terrifying common thread, Jaden and his friends find themselves running in a race against time. And they don't have much of a lead.
1. Long Distance

**Hey guys! I'm not feeling super wordy right now, but I'm so excited to finally be getting the first chapter of this story up; I've been at it for a few months, getting the draft out and then fine tuning details. But now I can share with you this idea that's been floating around in my head for a** ** _very_** **long time. I'm very excited to write the next chapter already. I hope you're just as excited to read and follow along.**

 **This will be a re-imagination of a certain character arc in the dub-verse, basically what I wanted to see.**

 **Welcome to _Hand of Sorrow._**

 **DISCLAIMER: Yu-Gi-Oh! GX is (C) Kazuki Takahashi.**

* * *

 **Chapter I**

 **Long Distance**

"Comin' through! Sorry!"

Jaden Yuki tore through the hall like an adrenalized Jack Russell Terrier. He could feel a few glares from other students firing in his direction, but his mind was too focused on the current situation to care. With the Society of Light and the Light of Destruction wreaking havoc at the Academy, Jaden hadn't had any room in his brain to consider the issue over the last few weeks. Now that both threats were abolished, though, this new predicament tumbled through his mind, invading every thought.

He had to get a hold of someone, _fast_. Oh, he couldn't believe he had let it go on for this long. Thankfully, he had an idea of how to solve this predicament. After speeding through two Obelisks (and ignoring the brusque insults that trailed him), Jaden skidded across the hard floor, barely managing to keep his footing, and practically tore through the door to the card shop as it opened. Stumbling across the threshold, Jaden took a few long, awkward steps inside before his feet left the floor. Just a second later, a crash resonated through the room, and he found himself face down on the floor, palms and calves erected.

"Ah _man,_ " Jaden mumbled to himself, propping himself up on his elbows.

"Jaden?"

He looked up. _Hallelujah._ Ms. Dorothy knelt above him, her hands on her knees as she eyed him. "Where did you run from, the edge of the island?"

"Nah, my dorm," Jaden wheezed. Then he thought about it. "Ah, close enough."

"Are you hurt?" she asked.

"I'll live." He scrambled to his feet. "Ms. Dorothy, is there a phone I can use here? Emergency."

The motherly card shop owner didn't even bat her eyes. "There sure is," she said, nodding. "It's just back beyond this door here." She gestured to an opening behind the counter - probably back to a store room - which was veiled with pale blue curtains. "Just go around."

"Thanks!" He jogged behind the counter and through the opening. The phone was stationed on the left side of the wall, not far from the counter. It was plain and black, and it could reach beyond the island. It was perfect.

Jaden ripped the phone off the set and dialed the number he needed. Just a few seconds later, he heard the drawling, monotonous ringing.

 _C'mon, pick up the phone,_ the young duelist thought frantically. _...Gah, pick up the freaking phone!_

"You've reached Hanzo Yuki. Do I really need to tell you what to do?"

 _Darn it!_

 _ **Beep**_ _._

"Dad, it's Jaden. I'm calling from the card shop. Sy needs help, I don't know what to do. Uh…" It then occurred to the teen that his father calling him back would be more complicated than he initially thought. "I dunno, I need to talk to you _now._ "

Suddenly, a click.

"Yo."

"Dad?"

"Jaden?"

Jaden sighed in relief. "Oh thank goodness. I gotta talk to you - it's urgent."

"From the tone of your voice, it sounds like it," Hanzo replied. "What's going on, Jay Bug?"

"It's Syrus."

* * *

After much uncertainty and rest, Syrus Truesdale was finally on the road to recovery. Just four days earlier, Syrus had challenged his older brother, Zane, to a Duel, one that inflicted shock after shock with every life point lost. Needless to say, it was painful to watch. But it probably wasn't more excruciating than what Syrus was feeling. Jaden had heard that a serious electrocution was comparative to being cooked from the inside out, and with how close the voltage was to their skin - sure, they both were wearing long sleeves, but those were hardly insulation. Zane talked big; he had gotten used to pain or some nonsense and was now inflicting it on the weak.

All Jaden heard was " _Flare Neos set my pants on fire, but I'm not gonna let you know it"._

Everything between when Jaden started screaming for a doctor and when Fonda Fontaine finally managed to stabilize him was blurry; just streaks of memories and emotions, and no detail to the full picture. Hassleberry and Aster running to them. Red, yellow, and blue staring in their direction. Incoherent barking. Grief. Grief not just for Syrus, but for Zane, the former rival and lost friend. Rage. Rage towards the dark clad behemoth who dared to call himself a duelist. Primitivism. Oh, how badly Jaden wanted to give chase and rain his fists on the behemoth's face -

"Jaden? Jay? ...Jaaaaden."

Jaden blinked and was back.

"Huh?"

"You okay?" Syrus asked, tilting his head.

"Oh!" Jaden grinned sheepishly, putting a hand behind his head. "Yeah! Sorry. You had us all scared there, that's all."

"Do I want to know how scared?" Syrus queried nervously.

"Well, it doesn't matter at this point." Jaden had eased back into his usual, laid back self, putting his hand down. "You're okay, and that's all I care about."

Sure, the Ra had been mercilessly mocked for being short. But what he lacked in size, he made up for in will to live.

"You know, there's still a Society of Light that needs taking care of," Syrus said. "You didn't need to stay with me this whole time."

"Sy, you're my friend. It's what they do."

Suddenly, Jaden heard the mechanical door slide open. The boys quickly turned their heads. There in the doorway stood Chancellor Erik Sheppard. The Chancellor always managed to carry himself with poise - the kind that showed pride in his students. The poise was there, but there was a dark aura that surrounded him this time.

"Chancellor?" Jaden acknowledged him, fidgeting a little.

"Jaden," Sheppard said solemnly. "Miss Fontaine and I need to speak to Syrus. Alone."

Syrus' eyes widened in rising horror. "A-Am I in trouble?"

"No, honey, you're not," Miss Fontaine replied, walking to his bed. Jaden swore he felt the temperature of the room drop twenty degrees as she sat beside him.

"Jaden, I'm going to have to ask you to leave us for a minute," Sheppard said.

Agitation tumbled through Jaden's stomach. "Wait, why?"

"Please," Miss Fontaine pressed.

Syrus glanced at Jaden with a look that read _I got it. Just do what he says._

"Okay…" Jaden stood up from the chair and walked to the door, throwing a glance at the nurse, the chancellor, and his best friend on the way out. The teenager only got a few steps out when he stopped in place, glancing at the closing door. As it secured itself, his low patience got the better of him. He pressed his ear against the wall, hoping to catch _something._ Even a shift in somebody's tone would have been satisfactory. But these walls were constructed to be soundproof; there was no way Jaden was going to hear anything.

After some deliberation, Jaden leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. He smiled to himself.

 _Now that I think about it, Sy really has come a long way._ Jaden mused. _...Ah, this is probably nothing. Maybe he's getting some sort of cool prize! Wonder what it is?_

Jaden had gone through a list several rare cards in his head when the door opened again. When he looked, Sheppard was stepping out, looking even more somber than when he came in. Jaden stood upright.

"Chancellor, is he-?"

"You can go back in now," Sheppard replied. "...Honestly, he probably needs you."

Jaden blinked. "Huh?"

The chancellor glanced back towards the infirmary. "You should talk to him. It's not my place."

Jaden didn't bother with more questions. He darted straight inside, ready to fight whatever battle had arisen for his best friend.

"Sy, what hap-" He was cut off by the sight of his best friend. He was still sitting up on the bed, but he was as still as stone. The color had completely drained from his face. His silver eyes had widened so far, his spectacles practically went invisible.

"Sy?"

"Jay…" The name was spoken distantly, but it carried a weight that made Jaden uncomfortable.

"What did they say?" he asked. "Are you okay?

Silence was Syrus' answer. Out of the corner of Jaden's eye, Miss Fontaine shot him a sober glance. She quickly went back to her clipboard though, letting them continue their conversation.

"I-It's my mom," Syrus said.

"Your mom?"

"Jay, she…"

"Sy, it's okay," Jaden reassured. "What happened?"

The aqua-haired, argent-eyed boy was quiet for what felt like an eternity. Jaden decided against pressing further. Still, he couldn't help but worry. Syrus looked like shotgun pellets had pierced him.

Finally, he opened his mouth.

"S-She…" he managed. "She… Sh-She had a heart attack. And..."

* * *

"She's in a coma!?" Hanzo exclaimed. "For how long? Do they know what happened?"

"I don't know," Jaden said. "Sy's been pretty tight lipped on the whole issue. She's been under for…" Jaden grimaced as he tried to count back how long ago Syrus had told him this. "Almost a week now."

"A week?"

"Yeah, I meant to talk to you, but…"

"But…?"

"Uh…" Jaden wasn't quite sure how to explain how he managed to save the world from being indoctrinated by an evil force. Hanzo and Amara Yuki were aware about the Shadow Riders and Jaden's successful efforts in bringing them down, so he knew they'd believe him, but this was all sorts of weird. "Things have been a little crazy over here."

"Crazy as in hectic or did you have to save the world again?"

"That second one."

"Oh man. You know Mom's gonna freak."

"I know." Jaden understood why his mother had screamed at him through tears and almost pulled him out of Duel Academy when she heard how many soul-risking Duels he put himself through last year. Frankly, it was only then he truly realized just how far he walked the razor's edge.

"I couldn't just sit back and let this happen though!" Jaden added.

"Hey, I'm not mad," Hanzo replied. "Neither has Mom been, ever. She just doesn't wanna lose you. So, what happened exactly?"

"It's a long story," Jaden said. "Easier to talk about at home. Anyways, Sy-"

"Yes! Syrus!" Hanzo exclaimed, snapping himself to the dilemma at hand.

"Dad, can he stay with us? Just until his mom gets better?"

"Uh, what about his brother?"

Jaden clenched his fist further at the words _his brother._ How was he supposed to describe what he saw a few days ago?

"Jaden?"

The boy pulled himself out of his thoughts. "His brother…" Jaden trailed off. "He's…not himself. I dunno if he'll be himself again." The thought of Zane being the only family Syrus would possibly have left ignited a flash of anger in his chest. Jaden smothered it before it could blaze.

"Is Syrus leaving the island today?"

"This Thursday," Jaden corrected. "Can't believe the teachers are still making him take his final exams!"

"Well, it's this close to finals. But I'm with you. This Thursday?"

"Yep."

"That gives us… Three days? Three days. Okay. I'll talk to Mom when she gets off work and then we'll make arrangements. Tell Syrus until his mom recovers, he can stay with us. We'll pick him up when he flies home."

"Sweet!" Jaden exhaled a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Dad!"

"But, don't think we're letting you leave this early as well," Hanzo replied. "Finish the year off, and when you get home, Syrus will be here. You've only got one week left. Cool?"

"Cool."

"I know how much Syrus means to you, Jay," Hanzo said warmly. "He's in good hands with us."

"Sweet, thanks. I'll talk to you soon."

"Love you, Jay Bug."

"Love you too."

Jaden set the phone on the receiver.

" _Yes_!" He pumped his fist and all but pounced his way out of the card shop, Dorothy managing to dodge him by a mere eighteenth of an inch.

"Well that emergency didn't take much to handle," Dorothy mused aloud.

* * *

" _Hey Sy, I just talked to my dad and he said you can stay with us until your mom gets better,"_ was the last thing Syrus Truesdale expected to hear from his best friend's mouth.

"Wait, what?" He stared at Jaden with wide eyes from the desk in their dorm room. Syrus had been reviewing for his Dueling History exam when Jaden practically bulldozed his way into the room with the news.

"I called home after you reminded me," Jaden replied. "Mom and Dad'll pick you up when you fly home."

"Jay, are you sure?" Syrus asked. "I'm going home in three days, you don't need to make room for me."

"Syrus, we really don't mind. Besides, they've always wanted to meet you."

Syrus looked at his best friend as if he just said his parents hatched from pineapple seeds. "They have?"

Jaden nodded. "Yep. I may have mentioned you a few times."

"Wow," Syrus whispered, turning to his Dueling History notes. He was quiet for what felt like the longest time, but then he turned back to face Jaden. "Okay. I'll be on the lookout for them."

"Sweet." Jaden walked over and flopped onto the lower most bunk, stretching his arms back behind his head.

"Jay?"

"Yeah?"

"...Thank you."

"No sweat, Syrus," Jaden said with a grin. "I've got your back."

* * *

 **Ahh. Feels good to finally get this up here on this corner of the Internet. I can't guarantee when I'll get the next chapter up; I don't want to give you guys a crappy chapter. But given how excited I am to get going, it could happen much sooner than I expect.**

 **A quick shout out to Kristine Angela Booth for examining this chapter for grammatical mistakes and other errors. Be sure to read her fan fics! They're bound to make you smile.**

 **And another shout out to my dear friend, whom we'll call Arwen, for the characterization review.**

 **Thank you for reading and following _Hand of Sorrow_!**


	2. Dust To Dust

**Hello, everybody, and welcome back to** ** _Hand of Sorrow_** **! This took a little longer than I hoped it would, and for the wait, I apologize. But it's where I wanted it to be now, so I'm happy about that. I will confess, this was grueling, but parts of it were also cathartic and fun to write. I hope this will have been worth the wait to you.**

 **Yu-Gi-Oh! GX is (c) Kazuki Takahashi**

* * *

 **Chapter II**

 **Dust to Dust**

Zane. He had to know, didn't he? The hospital had to have called him, right? Syrus had barely thought about how his brother was handling the situation. At least, if he even cared.

 _You people are all the same to me,_ Zane had seethed. _A bunch of worthless maggots._ Syrus had been too shocked by the words to say anything. All the same. Worthless maggots. Creatures to be crushed under the grooves of his boots.

Did that sentiment extend to their mother too?

He immediately pushed his notes to the side and stood, crooking an arm behind his head and raising the other skyward as he stretched his back. His spine initially groaned in protest, but then relaxed. Much better.

"Jaden?" He turned to his roommate. Jaden remained unmoved, glancing at him from his reclined position. "I think I'm gonna go for a walk," Syrus finished.

Jaden immediately sprang up from the bed and slid to his feet. "Want me to come with?"

Syrus shook his head. "I think I just need to be alone for now."

"You sure?" Syrus nodded. "All right." Jaden sat back down and pulled his deck box from his pocket. "I'll just be here then." There was a gleeful look in his eyes as he slid the cards out.

"I'll probably be back around dinner," Syrus said.

"Awesome." And with that, Jaden started going through his cards, and Syrus went out the door.

Syrus had no particular destination in mind. Well, the forest and the volcano were definite no-goes. And he definitely wasn't about to go near the Obelisk Blue girls dorm again. For now, his legs guided him on the trail to the main building. The path was nice; not difficult to walk and one could soak in the sight of the flora and occasional fauna. But at the moment, they were simply hasty brushstrokes in the background. In his portrait of the world, his crumbling world was the focal point, painted with a chain reaction of events.

Last week, he had managed to climb out of the trash can he had been hiding in and began facing opponents with his head held high and a boldness that intimidated the toughest Obelisks. With those, Syrus found himself blazing through everyone that posed a challenge. And with each kneeling opponent, Syrus felt himself becoming more focused. Stronger. Everything he had hoped for himself as a Duelist. Then... _that_ Duel happened. The pain was beyond what any human being should have had to endure - heck, it _should_ have killed him - but he still managed to make a full recovery. And on top of that, he managed to hold his own against his brother. Just when things were beginning to look up for him though, Chancellor Sheppard and Miss Fontaine broke the news.

Syrus had never wanted expulsion, but he would have taken that over what was given to him any day. With the Society of Light trying to indoctrinate everyone though, Syrus forced himself to put the woman who gave birth to him to the side so he could support Jaden's efforts in extinguishing the Light of Destruction. Everything would be okay after that. Everything _had_ to be okay once that was taken care of. Much to his relief (and little to his surprise), Jaden was successful and Duel Academy was free from the menace. A sigh of relief swept through the island. Syrus breathed one of his own once he made it back to the Slifer dorms. Finally, things could go back to normal. They could take their final exams with no worries.

But his self-deception crumbled to dust once reality poured down on him. Syrus would have to return home to take those exams. His mother was lying comatose, and even if she woke up, there was a strong chance she would never be the same. _If_ she woke up. And his brother was...just gone.

No one was there. If she slipped away, everything, everyone would be gone. It could happen in the black of the night, at the snap of a finger.

Syrus didn't know when he got to sleep that night, if he did. He responded to it all by burying himself in studying for the tests. Anything to anchor his mind as far away from her as possible. But that didn't stop her from softly splashing against his thoughts every now and again.

What exactly had happened? What if her heart couldn't recover? What if she never woke up? What would happen to him then?

How did he not see this coming?

Syrus stopped dead in his enervated wandering.

"Mom…" he whispered.

He had pushed his anxieties and insecurities behind doors in the corners of his mind. Throughout the year, they'd occasionally slip out, but he usually could force them back in. In this moment, however, they had pulverized the locks. Syrus' hands flew to his temples. The doors had swung wide open, and now they were free again, swimming amok in his head, taunting him. Jeering at him. Filling the lacerations on his heart to the brim with salt.

It was easy to hide from Obelisks. But he couldn't escape the cold eyes of the truth.

"Sarge!"

The Southern-accented bark caused the rampage in his head to screech to a halt. Just a second later, Syrus surfaced from the darkness and was greeted with a familiar, muscular form running towards him.

"Hassleberry?" He lowered his hands. As he did so, he realized he had slightly veered from the trail. The main building was still in plain sight, but Syrus was approaching the lake not far from it.

"The Sam Hill's goin' on?" The military brat Ra slowed to a stop in front of his friend.

"O-oh. I'm, uh, just taking a walk."

"You were lookin' like a cat on a hot-tin roof."

Discomfiture flickered across Syrus' face. "I…" Did anyone else see him?

"...Your mama?"

Syrus' argent eyes instinctively darted away from Hassleberry. The latter's face faltered slightly.

"Bless your heart," Hassleberry said before Syrus could object to talking. "You have my sincerest condolences, Sargeant."

Syrus sighed, his gaze drifting to the woods off to his right. "I think my mom's is the one who needs the blessing. This hasn't happened before and… I don't know if she'll make it."

"Whaddya mean 'this hasn't happened before'?" Hassleberry asked.

Syrus' eyes widened. "I didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"She's had heart issues for a while," Syrus said. "Coronary artery disease."

Now it was Hassleberry's turn to widen his eyes. "Repeat that?"

"Coronary artery disease."

"What in tarnation? That sounds serious."

"It is, but Mom's always taken good care of her heart," Syrus responded. "...I don't know how this happened."

"How did I not know this was goin' on with your mom?"

"It just… Didn't come up, I guess." Syrus shrugged. "And she's always been so strong, sometimes I just forget she's sick. She never complains."

"Never complains? What's this doin' to her?"

"It's giving her…" Syrus trailed off to think. "Pain, shortness of breath, lightheadedness… I didn't think her job was this taxing on her."

"What's your mama do again?" Hassleberry asked.

"You know Capitoline?"

"That casino hotel in Domino? The one where you can Duel for real money?"

Syrus nodded. "She's a blackjack dealer."

"Well, put plates on my back and call me a stegosaurus."

Syrus grimaced. "It can be rough. I don't know how she does it."

"You said it yourself. She's strong. That's why I think she's gonna pull through," Hassleberry said confidently.

"You think she'll wake up?" The inflection of hope in his own tone surprised Syrus.

"A heart attack ain't a death sentence."

"But a coma's still a big deal. Heart muscle cells can't be replaced." He turned, facing the glimmering lake under the setting sun. "I'm scared. Even if she wakes up, she may be worse than she already was. When Chancellor Sheppard first told me what happened, I asked, and…" The knowledge put a stranglehold on his words.

"What'd the general say?" Hassleberry gently pressed.

Syrus continued to watch the sunlight fade into the water.

"Mom was without oxygen for ten minutes," he finally said. "The doctors are thinking she might have brain damage."

"Sam Hill!" Syrus flinched at Hassleberry's exclamation.

"Jaden called home before I came here. He made arrangements for me to stay with his family until Mom got better. But, if she doesn't… Where will I go? No doubt Zane's not gonna bother with me." The last few words tugged at his throat.

"Hey, at ease, soldier," Hassleberry's large, warm, and calloused hand lightly perched on Syrus' shoulder. "Jaden and I got your six. And like I said, a heart attack ain't a death sentence."

Syrus managed a slight, thankful smile. But the longer he looked at his friend's face, the more he realized Hassleberry's countenance was faltering as he removed his hand from his shoulder. Once projecting a comforting confidence, it had fallen into uneasiness.

"What is it?" Syrus asked.

"Ya know I went looking for him after that Duel?" Hassleberry asked. "Zane?"

Syrus didn't see _that_ coming _._ "You… You looked for him?"

"Once they carted you off, I went huntin' for him. I was ready to take him on." Hassleberry's fists clenched and Syrus swore, for a split second, his eyes flickered into his signature dinosaur slits.

"I fouled up, Sarge," the dinosaur Duelist's voice cracked a sliver. "Shoulda gone after him ASAP."

Syrus just stared at him. How did he not hear about this? "You...weren't gonna hurt him, were you?" he asked.

"Er-" Hassleberry was visibly flustered. "Maybe trounce him with my dinos."

Syrus blinked. Sure, Hassleberry was skilled, but he had to know combating him, let alone _Dueling_ Zane, was essentially a suicide mission. Jaden could hold his own, but in the two matches he had against him, Jaden never achieved a true victory. Hassleberry might have been angry with himself, but Syrus was relieved it didn't come to that. Still, Zane was on the wind. A black wind.

Zane _had_ to come back. He had to. For now, they only had each other, but all he seemed to want to do was reign king of the dark fantasy he had built himself. Once reality cut it down, it was going to hurt. The sooner the blade came down, the better.

Or maybe it already had. The world would find out tonight.

A rumble fluttered through the air. Syrus recognized the sound...and the painful ripple in his stomach.

"Mess hall?" Hassleberry proposed.

"I guess I could use something to eat," Syrus said.

The two of them started back to the dorm. True to Syrus' word, he returned to the Slifer Red dorm at seven, Hassleberry in tow. Their timing couldn't have been more perfect; most of the other Slifers hadn't sat down with their rice, sardines, and soup yet (and go figure, Jaden was one of the few already shoveling the food into his mouth). Much to Syrus' relief, word about his mother had not been caught in a gossip wildfire, so he was free to think. Once he and Hassleberry sat with Jaden, he began to eat.

All three of them conversed with each other, but Syrus was mostly quiet. What was there to say? He was given something as his chopsticks went for the last sardine.

"Whatcha doin' after supper?" Hassleberry asked.

Syrus lifted the sardine close to his lips. "Watching Zane's Duel and then studying some more," he replied.

"Uh, Sy?" Jaden was staring at him, his brown eyes as wide as the rice bowl in his hand.

"Yeah?"

"...Never mind." Jaden went back to shoveling the rice in his mouth. But even an idiot could figure out where he was going before he recanted himself.

After swallowing the last sardine and consuming three-quarters of soup, Syrus turned in his dishes and left the Slifer Red meal hall. He went straight next door to the redeeming point of the Slifer Red dorm: The luxurious add-on funded by Chazz Princeton himself. He slid the door open and went inside. Not even a second later, Alexis Rhodes, the proclaimed Queen of Obelisk Blue, came out from behind the divider that stood between the TV space and a desk with a computer on it.

 _"_ Has the Duel started?" Syrus asked.

"Nope. I was just starting to think I could use a break," Alexis said with a dry smile. After a bit of searching, she found the remote to the widescreen TV. She grabbed it and pushed the power button. The screen came to life, and an energetic male voice flooded the room, aggressively pitching some new booster packs.

"How are you holding up?" Alexis asked as she sat beside her friend on the floor.

Syrus shrugged. "Hanging in there," he said simply. "Jaden called home. I'll be staying with him until… Well, I dunno how long."

"Yeah?" Alexis asked, a slight smile crossing her face.

"Yeah." The word was distant. Syrus watched the commercial stream, paying no mind to what was being advertised.

"Well that's good," she said. "You've got somewhere to go in the meantime."

"You're watching Zane again?" When Syrus turned around, Chazz was coming out of the restroom, closing the door behind him.

"Yep." Syrus nodded.

Chazz responded by crossing his arms and staring at him oddly. "I don't get you," he said. "Everybody saw that Duel, why do you still care about him?"

The question struck Syrus. He simply turned back towards the TV. "...I don't know," he said meekly.

Chazz held his odd stare on him for a moment. "...Whatever." He shrugged and walked down the steps, taking a seat on a chair next to them.

Syrus couldn't explain it. He knew where he stood with Zane all too clearly. But here he was. Again. At least he was in good company among maggots.

Suddenly, the door slid open, banging against the frame. Everyone turned.

"Has the Duel started yet?" Jaden asked, running into the room, Hassleberry walking in behind him.

"Nope," Alexis replied. "Came right on time."

"Sweet!" Jaden scurried down the steps and sat next to Syrus. Hassleberry lingered on the upper deck, crossing his arms over the railing.

The booster pack commercial ended, fading into a shot of the Kaiba Dome. Finally, the Duel was starting. The announcers greeted everyone watching and talked for a while, but it was all gibberish to Syrus - gibberish meant to whip the crowd into a frenzy over the two duelists. In the Kaiba Dome, lights flashed across the arena. The crowd howled with furor, their cries vibrating the walls.

"You know, Jean," the other announcer chimed. "Karl von Clausewitz once said that courage is the first quality of the warrior. Our other contender tonight definitely has no shortage of that tonight!" The screen flicked to one of the two entrances to the arena, which was framed by ten lights - five on each side - and the entry was shrouded in darkness.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Aleph Mativi!"

The lights blasted into roaring arena. Through the blinding white brilliance, a shadow emerged and strut in. When the incandescence on its end cleared, a young man stood in his side of the ring. The first thing the teenagers noticed was his stare - he had green eyes that could have pierced someone and left a mark, and a smirk that could slice through metal. His sharp face was framed by fiery orange, spiky hair. He was garbed in a purple sleeveless shirt with a black vest, black jeans, and purple and white sneakers. There was a black leather cuff that was visible on his right wrist, and a Duel Disk on the other.

"It really does take a lot of it, going against the resident champion!" Jean remarked in his trademark enthusiasm. "Ladies and gentlemen…" The screen flicked to the other side. "Zane Truesdale!"

Once again, the arena howled as light engulfed the entrance. But even through the blinding radiance, everyone could see it: An astringent, ominous shadow prowling into the arena. The silhouette cut through the white radiance, and figure in black raiment emerged into the arena. The clop of each dark boot was austere, intent. Its hands were clenched into fists.

There he was. Zane Truesdale. The resident champion. The behemoth. As the screen cut to a close up of him, Syrus suddenly flinched.

"Uh, Jay?" he said quietly.

"Hm?" Jaden turned his head to look at his friend.

"Does Zane look a little more, uh, not himself to you?"

When Jaden looked back at the close-up, he saw what the younger Truesdale meant. The look in Zane's eyes wasn't remotely human. He was eyeing Aleph with a feral glare, the kind an angry panther would give a human before going for the jugular. His mouth was set into a harsh scowl.

"Something's wrong," Syrus remarked.

In the arena, Aleph scoffed at the Zane.

"Hey Truesdale," he said. "Did a peacock cough up a hairball on your head?" The throng circling them shared a collective, tense "ohhh".

Zane just crossed his arms, his glare untouched. He had always been able to take it, and this time was no different. Well, except for the look of murder in his eyes.

"The Amateurs village is lacking an idiot," Aleph continued, swinging his right arm. "Get ready to be sent back there!" His Duel Disk glowed to life.

"Not sure if this Mativi guy's an idiot or just takes himself too seriously," Alexis deadpanned, narrowing her eyes at the spiky-haired duelist.

"Think I'll just run you a mile into the ground instead," Zane seethed, inserting his deck and activating his Duel Disk.

"Duel!" Aleph declared as their Life Point counters appeared. (Zane: 4000 / Aleph: 4000)

"I'll go first!" Aleph drew his first card and then examined his hand for a few seconds. "I summon Familiar Knight in Defense mode!" (DEF: 1400) "I'll set one card face down and end my turn."

"You expect me to be intimidated?" Zane asked sharply, drawing. "I activate the Spell card Foolish Burial! This card allows me to put one monster from my deck into my Graveyard."

Back in the Slifer dorm, Alexis leaned towards the screen. "Huh? ...Infernal Dragon?"

"Oh, yeah. You weren't there, Lex, were you?" Jaden said.

Alexis shook her head. "No, but Atticus told me about how he started using a new deck and how he was treating his cards. ...What is he doing?"

"Well, if he's about to do what I think he's gonna do, you'll find out in a second," Syrus said.

"Is no one going to point out his hand?" Chazz asked.

Jaden glanced at him. "You can see his hand, Chazz!?"

"No, not… Dang it, it cut away, never mind."

This piqued Syrus' interest. "Tell us if you see it again, Chazz."

"I summon Cyberdark Horn in Attack Position!" (ATK: 800 / DEF: 800)

Aleph Mativi eyed the mechanical creature oddly. "Really?" he asked. "My Familiar Knight could take that winged scorpion out, no problem!"

"Then let me educate you on Cyberdark Horn's special ability," Zane said. "I can equip a Level 4 or lower Dragon-Type monster to it and raise its attack points. And I choose Infernal Dragon!"

Infernal Dragon materialized onto the field. Just a second later, Cyberdark Horn descended upon it, its wires lowering and its claws open. The claws closed around the dragon, trapping it in its copper embrace. The suction cups grabbed onto the dragon's biceps and just above its hips, tightening its hold around the creature. The dragon uttered a noise...it almost sounded like a groan. (Cyberdark Horn: 2800)

"Whoa…!" The word wavered on Alexis' tone. Out of the corner of his eyes, Syrus saw the hairs on her arms stand in attention. She wrapped her arms around herself, her legs curling back towards her.

"Argh…" Chazz breathed, his eyes widening. His crossed arms and legs position didn't waver.

"You felt that too, Chazz?" Alexis asked.

"Oh yeah," he said.

Jaden, Syrus, and Hassleberry knew what the two teenagers were talking about; they had felt it too. Staring into the jaws of a Cyberdark monster was intimidating enough, but when they saw one of those things actually... _feed_ , for a lack of a better term, for the first time. It was like a legion of icy centipedes crawling through every artery.

"Now! Cyberdark Horn!" Zane shot his arm out. "Attack his Familiar Knight!" The machine charged up a ball of black and purple energy and shot it at the knight on the other side. With a devastating _crunch,_ the Familiar Knight bent forward and shattered into hundreds of holographic shards.

"And because of its effect, the difference between its attack points and your monster's defense points is taken from your Life Points!"

"Tch." Aleph smirked, despite his Life Points dropping to 2600. "You think I'm scared? You activated Familiar Knight's ability when you destroyed it! Now, we each get to summon a Level 4 monster from our hands. I choose The Trojan Horse!" (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 1200)

"I choose Cyberdark Cannon!" (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 800)

"Huh?" Syrus suddenly said. "I haven't seen that card before."

"Well, considering he throws his cards away like they're nothing, I'm not that surprised." Syrus detected a thinly veiled crack of umbrage in Jaden's voice. He decided not to reply.

"I set one card face down and end my turn," Zane said brusquely. "It's your move."

"With pleasure," Aleph jeered. "I'll use Trojan Horse's special ability, and use it as two Tributes to Tribute Summon an Earth monster! So I sacrifice my Trojan Horse to summon Buster Blader in Attack mode!" (ATK: 2600)

There seemed to be a collective gasp in the dorm.

"Probably not smart to bring so many dragons here, Truesdale," Aleph scoffed. "Because Buster Blader gets a 500 attack point bonus for every Dragon-type monster on your side of the field and your Graveyard!" (Buster Blader ATK: 3100)

"Huh?" Hassleberry asked. "Why did Buster Blader get a bonus? His Infernal Dragon shouldn't count; it's equipped to his Horn. He's got two Machine-types out on the field!"

"Good question, Hassl-wait." Jaden's eyes widened. "Is Cyberdark Cannon a Dragon-type monster?"

"That's the only thing that would make sense," Alexis said.

"And his deck's loaded with dragons! Zane's gonna be in major trouble now," Hassleberry remarked.

"Yeah," Syrus replied.

"Buster Blader, attack his Cyberdark Horn!" Buster Blader raised its sword and leaped into the air. The huge blade slashed across Cyberdark Horn. But it was the Infernal Dragon that screeched before exploding. (Zane: 3700)

"And you call _me_ a village idiot," Zane said with a smirk. "You didn't send Dark Horn to the Graveyard. Just my Infernal Dragon that was equipped to it."

"So?" Aleph asked. "My Buster Blader still gets a bonus. I end my turn." (ATK: 3600)

"Don't think you're not gonna feel the pain just because you powered up your pitiful monster," Zane snarled, drawing. "I activate my Spell card, Ruthless Denial! By sending one monster I control to my Graveyard, I can force you to discard one card in your hand." Zane pointed his finger towards his opponent. "I send Cyberdark Cannon to the Graveyard, and I choose the second to last card on your right!"

Aleph tensed, but nonetheless complied.

"Next, I summon Cyberdark Keel in attack mode!" (ATK: 800) "And with its ability, I equip Cyberdark Cannon to it!" (Cyberdark Keel ATK: 2400) "And I activate Cyberdark Horn's ability and equip Infernal Dragon to it once again!" (Cyberdark Horn ATK: 2800)

"And because my Dragon-type monsters are neither on the field or Graveyard, your Buster Blader loses 1000 attack points!" (ATK: 2600)

"Guess we know how this is gonna go," Chazz deadpanned.

"And now, Cyberdark Keel, attack his Buster Blader!"

"Hold it right there!" "I reveal my trap, Negate Attack! So much for another win, Truesdale!"

"Or not," Syrus said.

Cyberdark Keel's tail charged for Aleph, but instead shot into the wormhole that swirled onto the field. Once Cyberdark Keel retracted its tail, the wormhole shrunk, quickly disappearing.

"You managed to delay it," Zane said coldly, balling his raised hand into a fist. "That is _all_."

"Guys, there it was again!" Chazz shot upright in his seat, pointing at the screen. "His hand!"

Jaden and Syrus inched towards the TV. This time, they saw what Chazz was talking about. Dabs of purple and pale green painted the individual knuckles of Zane's right hand.

"Are those bruises?" Syrus asked.

"What the heck happened to your brother?" Jaden asked.

Syrus lowered his gaze as he scooted backward. "I wish I knew."

"I set one card face down and end my turn," Zane concluded.

"Don't get too full of yourself yet," Aleph sneered.

"He's one to talk," Alexis said, rolling her eyes.

"I activate Pot of Greed and draw two cards!" Aleph declared, following suit almost immediately. "Next, I play the Spell card Ante! Now, we each must reveal one monster in our hands to each other, and the Duelist with the lower leveled monster takes 1000 points of damage to their Life Points!"

He plucked a card out from between his middle and index finger and flipped it towards Zane. "Battleguard King, Level 8!"

"Cyber Dragon, Level 5."

Aleph laughed coarsely. "All those powerful monsters in your deck and that's all you can show me? Looks like you're about to take a hit!"

"I activate my trap, Fusion Guard!" Zane barked. "By randomly sending one Fusion monster from my deck to my Graveyard, I can negate your spell and take no damage."

The cameras were kind enough to let everyone see what card Zane was discarding.

"He just discarded his Cyber End Dragon," Chazz pointed out.

Alexis narrowed her eyes at the screen. "Why does he look like he doesn't care he threw his best monster away?"

"Because that's not the ace," Jaden replied. "Not anymore."

"What - where did he get this deck?" Alexis asked.

"No impact, no idea," Hassleberry replied.

"I can still take you down!" Aleph cried. "I activate Monster Reborn to bring my Trojan Horse back from the Graveyard! And I'll use its effect again, sacrificing it to summon Battleguard King in Attack mode!" (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 1100) "Now I'll activate its effect. By tributing Buster Blader, I can attack you twice!" Buster Blader disappeared from the field, and the Battleguard King roared with hostility.

"Oh boy," Jaden commented. "I don't think this is gonna end well for Zane."

"Battleguard King! Attack his Cyberdark Keel!" The Cyberdark Cannon exploded. (Zane: 3100)

"Cyberdark Cannon's effects activates!" Zane called. "First, I draw one card. Then, because you just sent my Cannon to the Graveyard, I can send one other monster there as well."

"Ooh, so scary," Aleph mocked. "Heard you were something of a masochist, Truesdale. Hope this next one doesn't cross your threshold! Attack his Keel again!"

"I don't think so!" Zane cried. "I reveal my trap card, Power Wall! For every card I send from my deck to the Graveyard, I reduce the damage I would take by 500 points!"

"So how many cards is that?" Jaden asked.

"Uh…" Alexis quickly computed the equation in her head. "It should take about five cards to - _what the?_ "

There was a shower of cards raining around Zane, and definitely more than five. Closer to twenty-five, to be exact. The Battleguard King's club swung towards the Cyberdark Keel, only for it to strike a barrier that glowed purple upon contact. The Battleguard King jumped back to Aleph's side of the field.

Alexis was absolutely slack-jawed. Her eyes had widened to the size of drums.

"No way," she breathed. "He just… He just threw three-quarters of his deck away!" She watched Zane carefully. "And he doesn't even care!"

"Well, guess the Zane we knew here really is gone," Chazz said, crossing his arms again.

"Can he even win with that many cards left in his deck?" Alexis asked.

"He managed to when I Dueled him. Atticus too." Syrus' tone was almost monotonous.

"Heh. You're running dry now," Aleph said. "I end my turn."

"You'd be surprised," Zane said. "I activate Pot of Greed!" He quickly drew.

Then, he smirked.

It was the force that busted the cork open in Syrus' memories. Every muscle fiber and connective tissue in his body constricted, squeezing until he barely felt his blood circulating. He managed a breath, a miracle now. He wasn't being seared from the inside this time; the only relief he felt in this moment. Syrus buried the memory deep. But the upward curve of his brother's mouth brought it back to life.

"Sy?"

As if Jaden's voice commanded them to, Syrus muscles relaxed completely. He looked over at his friend.

"You okay?" Jaden asked.

"...Aleph's about to get hurt," was all Syrus said.

"I activate my Spell card, Trap Booster!" Zane declared. "By discarding a card from my hand, I can activate a Trap card from my hand." He slid another card into the Graveyard. "And I activate Rebirth Judgment! This trap allows me to change the type of all of my monsters in my Graveyard. And they are all dragons!"

"Dragons?" Aleph asked. It was then Syrus caught it. It was only for a second, but he saw Aleph's green eyes glint with...fear.

 _He's gonna do it,_ he thought.

"Next, I activate the Spell, Cyberdark Impact!" Zane continued. "Now, I can shuffle Cyberdark Keel, Cyberdark Horn, and Cyberdark Edge from the field, my hand, and my Graveyard back into my deck, which will let me Fusion Summon your end."

Cyberdark Horn and Infernal Dragon vanished from the field completely. And in its place, something else rose. Something mechanical. Winged. Serpentine. The whole of three monsters.

"I Summon Cyberdark Dragon!" (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 1000)

Aleph definitely looked like he was sweating bullets now. "Y-You have all dragons in your Graveyard now…"

"That's right, Aleph," Zane sneered. "And I equip my Cyber End Dragon to my Cyberdark Dragon to power it up."

Cyber End Dragon materialized onto the field, right underneath the Cyberdark Dragon. Its suction wires latched onto the dragon's body, and its three heads screeched. (Cyberdark Dragon ATK: 5000)

"And Cyberdark Dragon gets 100 additional attack points for every monster card in my Graveyard as well." (ATK: 6500)

"S-Sixty five hundred attack points?" Aleph stammered. His eyes widened.

"That's right," Zane said, his grinned deranged. "Cyberdark Dragon! Swat this insect! Attack!"

Cyberdark Dragon charged up and then launched a black and magenta ball of energy. As it speeded towards Aleph, Syrus lowered his head to his knees.

 _Zane…Mom…_ he thought despairingly.

The impact sounded like a bomb going off. Even though the dark energy engulfed him and Battleguard King, Aleph's anguished cries pierced through the darkness. Zane just stood there, smiling arrogantly.

"Yet another win for Zane Truesdale!" Jean declared.

Jean and his companion started going on about something, but no one was paying attention at this point.

"I… I knew he stopped respecting his opponents, but this is…" Alexis was slack-jawed again.

As the announcers prattled on, the smoke began to clear. When it parted, Aleph was on his back. His tanned skin had paled three shades and Syrus swore that every now and again, he'd see him twitch.

Chazz stood up, grabbing the remote and switching the Duel off. Hassleberry came down the steps and stood over Syrus and Jaden.

"You doing okay, Syrus?" Jaden asked.

He nodded. "Just thinking about Mom. And this."

Jaden nodded in understanding. "Do you want to go back to our room?"

"Sure." Syrus got up and followed Jaden and Hassleberry out of the room. "...At least Mom didn't see that," he said once they were outside and out of earshot.

"Oh yeah. How's she taking it?" Jaden asked as he put his foot on the first step.

Syrus glanced to the side. He hesitated. "Not well. The first few nights, she tried to get a hold of him to see what was going on. He wouldn't answer her calls. Didn't even bother sending a message. He hasn't talked to her since the night before that first match."

"You think he knows what's going on?" Hassleberry asked.

"I couldn't tell. He just seemed angrier. Jaden… You don't think he…?"

Jaden blinked, and then turned his gaze out towards the ocean. Academy Island was beautiful on its summer nights; the temperature comfortable, the sky cloudless, and the full moon beaming down on the dark water.

"I've gotta believe he doesn't hate her," Jaden said. "But…"

"But?" Syrus asked.

"Nah, never mind," Jaden said.

"Uh, okay," Syrus said. He glanced at Hassleberry, wondering if he had an idea of where Jaden was going with that train of thought. The military brat just shook his head. The Slifer and the Ras climbed the steps to their dorm, their home away from home. For the remainder of the evening, the boys discussed their plans for their upcoming vacations and Duel tactics. By the time eleven thirty rolled around, all the lights in the Slifer Red dorm were out.

* * *

Syrus shot upward from his bed, panting heavily. Whatever nightmare had plagued him this time had fled his memory the moment he opened his eyes. When he gathered his wits, he fumbled his bunk for his spectacles. Once he fixed them on the bridge of his nose, he looked around the dorm room. Except for pale moonlight streaming through the curtains, the room was completely dark. The only sounds floating between the walls were Jaden's and Hassleberry's familiar snorings.

 _What time is it?_ Syrus wondered.

He climbed off his bunk and went to the desk to grab his PDA. _Five thirty? Dang._ He looked back to his two roommates. Syrus could easily sleep through their chorus of snores. But despite how early it was, his body was fully alert. For now, going back to sleep was laughable. So he sat in the chair at the desk, tapped on the Internet icon, and decided to go check out a popular Dueling news website that also had a magazine publication called _The Rapier_.

When the website loaded, a headline immediately screeched at him in bold, black text.

 **MATIVI FOUND COMATOSE IN APARTMENT, HOSPITALIZED**

 _Huh?_ Syrus clicked on the headline. The first thing to load was a headshot. Syrus' eyes widened. Aleph Mativi smirked at him with confident eyes.

 _What the…?_ He scrolled to the article.

 _"_ _Pro League Duelist Aleph Mativi was found comatose inside his apartment on Monday, June 12th at 10:41 pm. Mativi was discovered by his manager, Sam Inieks. According to Inieks, Mativi failed to show at a scheduled post-Duel appointment and did not return any calls made to him._

 _Neighbors did not report any sounds indicative of a struggle and there was no visible trauma to Mativi's body. There were no indications of a robbery in the apartment._

 _Mativi is currently being hospitalized at Mount Sinai Hospital - Domino._

 _The Rapier will update this story as more details become available._

Syrus' eyes widened as he registered each word.

 _The heck? Could it…? No, this… This couldn't._

Syrus shut off the PDA immediately, got up, and returned to his bunk. Now, sleep didn't seem so far-fetched. He curled up under the blankets as he once more removed his spectacles. He was comfortable again. But his heavy theory followed him into unconsciousness.

* * *

 **And we've come to the end of Chapter 2. It always feels good to get something up, especially after going back and tweaking it so many times. The Duel was one of the most challenging parts to write. I hope you enjoyed it.**

 **I'd like to once again thank Kristine Angela Booth (be sure to go follow her and read her fics), Arwen, and the newest member of my small army of betas. We shall refer to him as "Father of Armed Dragons". This chapter couldn't have gotten to where it is without them.**

 **Thank you to everyone who favorited and reviewed last chapter and to everyone currently following the story. It feels great seeing there are people who want to see where this goes. :)**

 **Thank you for following** ** _Hand of Sorrow_** **!**


	3. Not Quite Lost, Not Quite Found

**Hello, everybody! I know, it's been a while. Believe it or not, this chapter was actually completed in February! However, the real world started piling on a lot of...um...real life crap on everyone involved in this. This won't exactly be an action packed chapter, but I hope it at least makes you smile. :) While aspects of this chapter proved challenging to write, there was also a lot that was fun too. I hope it's entertaining.**

 **All right. I've gone on long enough. Here's the way-too-long awaited third chapter of _Hand of Sorrow!_**

* * *

 **Chapter III**

 **Not Quite Lost, Not Quite Found**

Aleph Mativi was wandering in Syrus' subconscious, and had stirred his worries into such a frenzy that Syrus awoke again just twenty minutes later. Every single letter of the article seared into his mind, the combination too disturbing to simply brush off. And then there were those marks on Zane's knuckles… Oh, how he wished his mother was awake. How he wished he could just send her an e-mail detailing everything on his mind. With Jaden and Hassleberry fast asleep, Syrus was alone again. And this time, Zane had come back to plague him, but with questions rather than torment.

 _What happened to you?_ he thought. _Was that losing streak so traumatic, you felt like you had to throw away everything you stood for? Everyone and everything you've loved?_

Syrus stretched his body and rolled onto his stomach, the mattress creaking underneath him. He craned his neck to face the window. The moonlight pierced through the glass of the window, shining a beam across the wooden floor.

 _How?_ he wondered. _How did it come to this? How did something so fun turn into something this serious? Zane… You couldn't have expected to win_ _ **every**_ _time. Everyone knows the Pros aren't Duel Academy. I don't know what you're doing. But those bruises on your hand… No, I don't think you really would hurt someone. Wait. What the heck am I saying? You - my own brother - strapped electrodes on me and...didn't do anything about it. Okay, the electrodes were my choice, but-_

Syrus felt his muscles constrict and scream again. He curled into a ball - oh, gosh, the pain - and squeezed his eyes shut. The sensation had diluted with time, but for Syrus, the real thing was permanently inked in his memories. The shocks would only last a second, but it was enough to set every pain sensor on fire. And they were frequent enough to keep the flames burning. The good thing about memories, however, was that they did eventually pass, and it did just that. Syrus relaxed, keeping his eyes on the window.

Somewhere, his brother was most likely asleep, content with his performance and numb to Aleph's current state.

 _I may not have won that Duel,_ Syrus mused. _I may not have been able to make you remember yourself. But I promise you this, Zane. I won't give up on you! You remember, I know you do, I can feel it!_

He rested his head against the pillow once more.

 _And… I need you. Mom needs you, we need you. Zane, please. Please._ Syrus felt his eyes sting with tears as he closed them once more.

 _...Please come home..._

Hour by hour, the last day of classes crept up on Duel Academy. And with every passing day, Syrus shifted and switched between reconciled ease and quiet unrest. Just when he thought he had entered the eye of the storm, Zane's recent Duel tore open a hole and sent a downpour of questions. He wouldn't have wondered about the bruises on his brother's hand last year. Well, at least not extensively. But with Zane having been "reborn" recently, Syrus' imagination couldn't stop running.

Why couldn't he read minds? If he could just look at his brother's brain for a second, he could get _some_ idea as to what was going on with him and get to the bottom of it. If only Zane had said _something_ or left _some_ kind of clue as to where his screwed up thinking was birthed...

For most of the last day of classes, Syrus managed to push his thoughts to the walls of his brain. But during every in-between, they would come crashing back into each other and explode. He'd clear the debris as soon as he crossed into a classroom, only for another detonation to occur as soon as he crossed back into the hallway. The vicious cycle went on and on until Syrus walked out of his last classroom with a cluster of papers in his hands. He sifted through the papers. All of them were final exams from different professors.

 _At least they're giving me the whole break to do these,_ he thought to himself.

"Sy! Hey, Sy!"

Syrus threw his gaze behind him to see a flurry of red tearing his way.

"Hey Jay," Syrus said.

"Were you just gonna leave without me?" Jaden asked gently.

Syrus cocked his head. "I thought your parents said to stay until you finished your exams."

"They did," Jaden said. "But I was planning on seeing you off. I even set an alarm to go off after my last class."

Syrus' eyes widened. "You…? Wait. Who did you have?"

"Dr. Crowler."

 _Oh man,_ Syrus thought. "How well did that go?"

"He seemed a little surprised, but then he let us all go."

 _Probably didn't let you go without firing a dirty look your way,_ Syrus deadpanned to himself. "You said you were going to see me off?"

Jaden nodded enthusiastically. "Yep!"

"Jaden…" Syrus could only stare at him. "You don't have to if you don't want to."

"Too late, I already made up my mind," Jaden quipped.

Syrus smiled. "Oh, all right."

Jaden stretched his arms out and perched his hands behind his head. "I don't know how they expect you to take all these tests," he said honestly. "I'd just let you go home without having to take them."

"That would be nice. My teachers all extended my deadlines to until the end of the break."

"Wait, you don't have to take your tests until the last week of the break!?" Jaden's arms dropped as he gaped.

Syrus' eyes fell. "Well...the way Mom is right now, I don't know if she'll even wake up. I don't know how bad her brain damage is. I think… I think the teachers are treating this as a death in the family."

"Well, you said your mom is really strong, right?"

"Yeah?"

"So strong you sometimes forget she's got this condition?"

"Uh-huh."

"Then she'll wake up," Jaden affirmed, grinning.

"You and Hassleberry are pretty optimistic about this," Syrus observed. "Are you just telling me she'll wake up just to make me feel better?"

"Did it?" Jaden asked.

"...It did, actually." Syrus smiled. "And you're right. She's a fighter. She won't give up that easily."

"Sweet!" Jaden chimed happily. "That's the spirit. Just believe in her."

Syrus nodded. "Okay. I'll believe in her. I'll believe she's gonna wake up."

The friends continued conversing as they walked out of the main building and down to the Slifer Red Dorms. Syrus took a few minutes to collect his things from their room and leave his blazer in the room, and then journeyed down to the hangar with Jaden. A dark gray airplane, emblazoned with the Duel Academy logo, awaited them as they walked into the secluded, but spacious area. As they drew closer, a middle aged man in a black pilot's uniform stepped out through the side door. His face scrunched, quizzical.

"They didn't say anything about _two_ students." His voice was gruff, but tempered by gentle confusion.

"They didn't," Jaden affirmed. "Just seein' him off."

The pilot nodded and then glanced at Syrus. "Take a minute, but then we need to get going." He climbed back into the aircraft. Syrus turned to his best friend.

"Jaden," he said pensively. "Thank you so much. For everything."

"Not a prob- oof!" Jaden found himself abruptly and tightly enfolded in Syrus' arms. This was probably the strongest embrace he had ever gotten from him. Jaden returned the gesture and patted his shoulder blade before Syrus released him and stepped back.

"Not a problem, Sy," Jaden managed to finish.

"I'll e-mail you as soon as I get to you guys' place," Syrus promised.

"Cool. I'll stay in touch until I come home."

"Thanks, Jay. ...I'll see you next week."

With that, Syrus picked up his stuff and carried it to the aircraft. After putting his possessions in a compartment above the fifth row from the front, Syrus took a seat by the window, where Jaden was in clear sight. He inhaled deeply, and then exhaled slowly. Reality was peeking its eyes out from the corner of his conscious. The whine of plane's engines grew louder, and he could feel the aircraft drift into motion. Syrus threw one last glance at Jaden. The glance turned into a gaze as Jaden started waving his arm at him. Before he completely disappeared behind the window, Syrus softly waved back. The drifting suddenly shifted into a slither, and then began to pick up speed that continued to climb. Eventually, he felt his world tilt at a 45 degree angle. The plane was completely unchained from gravity now, and flying away from the school, away from the island.

Syrus leaned back and sighed. Now, asylum awaited him in Domino.

Two hours later, at 5:21 pm, Syrus Truesdale's flight landed at the John F. Kennedy International Airport. Once given the clear, Syrus got up and grabbed his luggage from the compartment. He gave the pilot a quick thanks before crossing over the entrance and into the long hallway to the airport.

 _Okay…where's baggage claim?_ Syrus said. _Jaden said they'd be waiting there._

It had been a full six months since he was back here, and he had forgotten just how _huge_ the place was and how easy it was for someone as short as him to get disoriented and lost in here. This was going to suck.

"Just follow the signs," he muttered to himself before striding past a food court.

Fortunately, when signs hung from the ceiling, it wasn't too hard to navigate the fifth busiest airport in the United States. It also helped Syrus wasn't carting around an obscene amount of luggage - simply enough to hold some essentials and then some. After walking for a time, he caught sight of a sign that pointed him left, towards baggage claim and a travelator. As he turned towards it, something caught Syrus' attention from a pillar in the center of the room. He turned his head to look at it.

A TV screen was mantled on the pillar. Right away, Syrus saw a young man that looked older than him drawing a card from his Duel Disk on the screen. There was what looked like a playback from a Duel from the Pro Leagues. The young man being portrayed on the screen had just summoned Alchemist of Black Spells. His eyes were a dark gold, and his dark hair was cropped with a few wild tufts. His entire outfit was black, save for a white shirt underneath his blazer. A white headline blazed across a red banner.

 **FIARAO FOUND UNCONSCIOUS, HOSPITALIZED**

"Huh?" Syrus froze and watched the TV for a moment. The image of the Duelist minimized, and a woman could be seen, garbed in a white blouse under a lavender blazer. Her dark brown hair was tied back into a bun, her chocolate brown eyes glimmering with enthusiasm.

Syrus' eyes widened. "Wait…"

"Pro Leaguer Simon Fiarao was rushed to the hospital after being found unconscious and unresponsive in his apartment bathroom," she announced. "He was discovered at ten twenty this morning by his sister after she broke into his apartment when he failed to respond to her phone calls. There was no evidence of a struggle, and Fiarao had no visible injuries. The Domino City Police Department is investigating this as a potential assault case. Fiarao is currently being hospitalized, and is reported to be in stable condition, but has not awoken."

 _He graduated with Zane!_ Syrus realized.

"In other news," the anchorwoman continued. "medical professionals remain stumped as Aleph Mativi remains comatose."

Syrus' eyes practically bugged out of his head.

" _Comatose!?_ "

It wasn't until he saw several people shoot curious glances at him he realized he had blurted out the word, and at a higher volume than he intended. He lowered his face as he turned to the travelator, mortification glowing on his face.

 _Aleph's in a coma now? And then Simon? Oh man…_

As he glided across the hallway, Syrus took a breath. Once he stepped off, his mind shifted back to locating baggage claim and his awaiting temporary guardians.

"Do you see him yet?" Amara Yuki jumped up, peeking over a mass of people for a split second. The Yukis had only been here for ten minutes, but it felt like _forever._

"Mar, chill. Give him a minute to get down here." Her husband, Hanzo, put a hand on his hip and looked at her intently.

Amara turned to him, fists in front of her chest. "Chill!? This is our son's best friend we're talking about, Hanzo!"

Hanzo chuckled. "I know, I know. Maybe his plane just got in. Let's just keep it cool till we see him."

Amara sighed and relaxed her hands. Hanzo couldn't help but smile. Eighteen years married to her and she was still as high key as she was in high school. He scratched his cheek where his dark beard itched him, and scanned the baggage claim room, hoping his charcoal eyes would eventually find this blue haired, silver eyed boy Jaden had told them so much about. He was mostly keeping his eyes peeled for his wife's sake; she had been _dying_ to meet the kid since Jaden first told them about him last year. It was no secret that he wanted to meet Syrus Truesdale as well, and that he had been looking forward to this too.

Hanzo just wished they were meeting him under better circumstances.

He glanced at his wife, who was peeking through the crowd again. A snicker slipped through his lips when something arrested his attention from the elevator. Glancing over, he saw a young man step off the escalator, dragging a blue suitcase and red carry on. His hair was a pale blue and he had large silver eyes barely covered by spectacles -

"Wait, Mar, I think I see him."

Amara's next move shouldn't have surprised him, but it caught him off guard regardless. She darted over to Hanzo and, with a click of her black flats, leapt onto his back, clamping her toned, black legging clad legs around his waist. The clutch pushed against Hanzo's stomach, knocking some of the breath out of him. She pushed against his broad shoulders, hoisting herself above his head.

"Where!?"

Unbeknownst to her, Syrus heard the word. When he looked, he saw her latched around Hanzo, scanning the whole area. She only passed him once, but turned back immediately when she saw his hair. She shot her arm up and waved it like a flag in a hurricane, an ecstatic smile blooming on her face.

"SYRUS!" she shrieked.

She dropped down, disappearing behind the mass of people. Just a second later, she burst forward, a blaze of brown and orange hair and black clothes that grew ever closer, her shoes clicking with every step and her arms outstretched. Before Syrus could react, Amara pounced towards him. His luggage clattered as he was pulled off the floor and into a hearty embrace that nearly knocked the wind out of him.

This, Syrus realized, was what they called a glomp.

"Oh, Syrus, it's so good to finally meet you!" Amara cooed.

She set him down and stepped back, allowing the boy to get a better look at her. Her wavy, chestnut hair tumbled to her hips, the brown fading into orange as it reached the ends. Her brown eyes shimmered with delight. She was dressed in a plum and ivory tunic with lace up detailing up the center and the sleeves, black leggings, and black flats. As Syrus took her in, it hit him: For having a teen son, she looked awfully young.

 _Oh, that's right,_ Syrus realized. _Jaden said his parents married right out of high school._ "Good to meet you too, Mrs. Yuki," Syrus replied. "Did you just get off work at the bridal shop?"

"Yes indeedy," Amara replied, nodding. "And Mrs. Yuki is my mother-in-law. It's Amara… Slifer's pants, you're even cuter in person!" She brought her fists to her chest again, her grin irrepressible.

Syrus opened his mouth to say something, but his brain absorbed Amara's last comment much quicker. He blinked. "Slifer's... _pants_? Is that what you just said?"

Hanzo suddenly approached them, chuckling. "Here's to hoping the Egyptian Gods don't smite her in the afterlife. Wait…" He cupped his chin with his fingers, deep in pondering for a moment. "Syrus, could Slifer the Sky Dragon even _wear_ pants?"

Syrus looked at him as if he had spoken some alien language. "Uhhh… I...don't know," he said sheepishly. _Wonder what that would...nope. Never mind._

"...We'll need to discuss this later, Mar," Hanzo declared. He reached his tanned hand forward. "No need for "mister"s. Hanzo."

Syrus took his hand and stared at him for a minute. The first thing he noticed was his short, messy black hair, which came down on his square face into a noticeable, but not audacious, beard. He was significantly taller than Amara, probably equal to Zane in height, if not an inch taller. He was dressed in blue jeans and a black T-shirt draped under an amber colored flannel shirt. There were no obvious physical markers that tied back to Jaden, except for a recognizable spark in his dark eyes; he had definitely given that to his son.

"How are you holding up?" Amara asked. Her sprightly aura eased significantly.

Syrus shrugged. "Okay, I guess."

"Jaden told me about your mom," Hanzo said. "I'm really sorry."

Syrus smiled at the couple. "I really appreciate you guys being willing to do this. You didn't have to."

"Hey, you're one of us now," Hanzo said with a smile. "Let's get you back home and settled in."

Amara shot her arm skyward, her finger to the ceiling. "To the Yukimobile!" She whipped around and led the charge out of JFK.

The Yukimobile turned out to be a red Kia Sorento that Amara had parked a ways from the airport. Fortunately, while the walk was long, the foot traffic was low. Once Amara popped the trunk open, she launched the keys into Hanzo's grasp by an underhand toss. After helping get his luggage into the trunk, Amara crawled into the passenger's seat while Syrus climbed into the seat behind her. Hanzo started the car, pulled out, and began navigating his way out of the JFK parking lot.

"So... _this_ aside, how was school?" Amara asked.

"Okay," Syrus said. "Kinda crazy, but it was all right."

"How crazy?" Hanzo asked.

"Uh, well…" Syrus thought for a minute. The Society of Light wasn't going to go over well with them, especially Amara, from what he heard from Jaden. "My brother kinda started acting, uh, weird."

"Jaden said that he wasn't acting like his usual self," Hanzo replied. "What did he mean by that?"

"Uh…" How on Earth was Syrus supposed to describe the transition? He still had no clue what happened. "He used to respect everyone. He used to care about his opponents. He just...cared. Now, he just sees us… _everyone_ as a bunch of worthless maggots." The words would not have stung so much had they come from someone else. He clenched his fists.

Hanzo and Amara exchanged a glance with each other.

"Worthless maggots?" Amara repeated.

"That's a bit of a stretch," Hanzo remarked. "What do you mean by that?"

"Exactly that," Syrus affirmed. "He said that. I heard it. So did Jaden. So did other people there."

There was a pause. Then, he saw both Yukis stiffen in their seats.

"Wait...you meant that literally." Hanzo was audibly astonished.

Amara turned towards the boy, indignant shock clear on her face even in the dark of the car. "He actually said that to you?" Her tone was edged with umbrage.

"No, not to me," Syrus said. _Well...sort of to me._

"Okay, sorry, _wait a second_." Amara's hand shot out. "So your mom's in the hospital and your brother's doing...whatever. Syrus, sweetie, what about your dad? Where is he?"

Somewhere in the back of his heart, a stitch ruptured. It had been years since the wound closed, but it never quite healed. And every now and then, that one stitch liked to come undone just to bleed.

"My dad died when Zane and I were young."

Amara's eyes widened. He could tell she regretted asking the question. "Obelisk's oversized sternum… oh, honey, I'm so sorry."

Syrus' eyes flicked to the window. "It's okay. It was a long time ago."

"How long?" Amara asked.

Syrus quickly did the math in his head. "I was about seven. Zane was...nine, I wanna say?"

"Can I ask what happened?"

Syrus' eyes darted to the car window. It was still so hard to say anything, despite all the years that had gone by since. Even bringing it up to Jaden weighed on him like a trillion tons.

"He was-"

"Wait, don't." Amara put her hand up again. "...You don't have to say. I'm sorry."

Syrus quietly breathed a sigh of relief. As much as he wanted to explain, everything he faced enshrouded the memories in darkness - the kind that mercilessly crushed his chest just thinking about it. He glanced out the window again, the city lights blurring past him in colored streaks. _I...no..._ _ **we**_ _can't lose Mom either._

Amara shot a worried look at him.

In the course of forty five minutes, the Yukimobile crossed through Queens, Manhattan, and finally into Domino. Within another five minutes, they were driving through a suburban neighborhood that was full of narrow, simple houses that, at most, stretched to two stories. The Yuki residence was sandwiched between two of these houses, almost blending right in. As Hanzo pulled into the driveway, Syrus glanced at the house. Glaring out from the ecru colored exterior were the door and the window frames, both of them a bold red that he didn't see on the others.

 _The same red as Slifer Red blazers,_ Syrus realized as Hanzo parked.

"Well, welcome to Casa de Yuki, Syrus," Hanzo declared as he undid his seatbelt.

 _So this is Jaden's house,_ Syrus mused as he unbuckled and got out. After convincing Amara to let him handle it, he took his stuff out of the trunk and followed the couple to the front door. Hanzo turned his house key in the lock and swung the door open, holding it until Amara and Syrus walked inside.

Wooden stairs descended from an ivory carpet into a mahogany planked floor. A steady stream of pictures in simple frames trailed beside the steps. The planks trailed down a hallway and through an open door frame, where a granite topped counter and a sink could be seen. The light fixtures above glowed softly, bequeathing a cozy and cheery aura all around the room. Standing by the wall that held the stairs was a console table with more pictures propped up on its surface.

"It's nice," Syrus said as it all sunk in.

Hanzo grinned. "Our house is your house, so you make yourself at home. All right." He clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "I'll get started on dinner." He took a few steps forward, then sharply turned back. "What do you like, Syrus?"

"I'm good with anything," Syrus replied.

"Sweet." There was an excited gleam in his eyes. "How do you like your meat?"

"Uh, medium rare."

"Awesome." Hanzo smirked. "You're in for a treat."

"I'll show you the guest room." Amara beckoned Syrus to follow her up the stairs, and he complied.

Upstairs, the second floor branched at at 90 degree angle. In a hallway that stretched straight out, there were three doors - one on the left, one at the end of the hall, and one on the right.

"Okay, so," Amara pointed to the leftmost door. "that's Jaden's room right there. The one at the end of the hall is a guest bathroom, and the one over here-" She opened the rightmost door. "-is your room."

Syrus wheeled his suitcase inside and looked around. It wasn't a big room, but there was a comfortable snugness in the dimensions. The coffee colored walls were more bare than the one by the stairwell, but there were still a few pictures. Compared to the ones of the Yukis, however, these were just photographs of wild meadows and open fields. There was a window in the center of the opposite wall, giving the dweller a generous view of the neighborhood. There was a large set of white sliding doors taking up a majority of the rightmost wall; a closet, most likely. Off to the side of it was a wooden chest of drawers. A three quarter panel bed was off to the other the side of the room, a red comforter draping over the mattress and brown pillows stacked upon the headboard. Next to it was another wooden door.

"Bathroom's over there." Amara pointed to the other door. "Okay, do you need help getting settled in, do you want me to let you do this?"

"I'll do it," Syrus said. "You guys have already done so much for me."

"Oh, Syrus, it's our pleasure," Amara replied. "I'll go help Hanzo with dinner. We'll call you when it's ready, okay?"

Syrus nodded. "Thanks."

Amara strode out of the room, closing the door behind her. Syrus unzipped his suitcase and carry-on and began unpacking. He hadn't brought much to the Academy, save for some toiletries, some spare clothes, and a few other necessities. This would be enough to last him the next few...weeks? Months? Years?

He froze as the cold, numerous eyes of possibility stared at him in the face. It could be years before she woke up. It could be years before he heard her voice again. But what was more frightening was the possibility of Zane continuing down his thorned path of misanthropy, walking farther and farther away from him… Syrus propped his beloved Mr. Fuzzy Bear against the pillows stacked on top of each other.

After he put some toiletries in the pristine guest bathroom, he sat on the bed and pulled out his cell phone. He might not have had his PDA anymore, but he still had access to the e-mails that were on there for the next week. There were no new messages, but the most recent one from his mother, just before the Genex Tournament, was still sitting up at the top. He opened it.

 _Syrus,_ she had written. _This tournament is tomorrow, right? I'm so happy to hear you're participating._

 _You have crossed so many bridges you wouldn't have dared to take the first steps upon last year. And because you took those steps, you're now in Ra Yellow, and your skills as a Duelist have sharpened. I can't describe the pride I feel for you, other than it's overwhelming. I know your father is smiling ear to ear somewhere. However, I don't expect this tournament will be easy, and neither should you._

 _But even if you don't win this tournament, you will always be a cuishle mo chroí. And should you find yourself scared at all during a Duel, or even when opponents seek you out, know you are not alone. I will be cheering for you all the way from Capitoline. Remember, some of your opponents may be just as scared to be there as you were last year. Remember to treat them with dignity, kindness, and respect, even if they would treat you otherwise._

 _Go neirí an tádh leat._

 _Mom_

Syrus smiled. She might have been silent for the time being, but he could hear her smooth, ripened voice through the words. Just the sound of her set him at ease.

He went back to the very start of them, from October 15th, reading her messages to him. Their talks weren't lengthy, but they were meaningful. It wasn't until May 11th that a dark cloud began creeping over each message.

 _Zane lost to Aster Phoenix,_ he had written. _I can't believe this happened._

 _I know,_ she wrote back. _I knew it was bound to happen, but I'm still shocked. I talked to him this morning. He said it was harder last night, but he's okay now. I told him Dad and I were still proud of him, but he still seems a little thrown by it all._

 _I don't blame him. I'll talk to him later._

 _I think he'd appreciate it. Nobody enjoys losing. Take it from somebody who works at a casino._

Syrus cracked a slight smile. He had heard a story or two about sore losers at Capitoline. She had always been good with confrontation. He continued reading each individual message, until he came upon a conversation from May 22nd.

 _Did you see Zane's Duel last night?_ he had written.

 _Yes,_ she had replied hours later. _What the deamhan was that about!? I tried to call him after I got off work, but he didn't answer. I'll try him again later._

 _Oh, yeah,_ he thought. _That was after that first Duel where he…_

Syrus clicked to an e-mail just two weeks later.

 _He still hasn't called me back,_ she wrote. _He's still acting like this?_

 _What do you think's going on?_ he had asked.

 _I don't know, mo cuishle,_ she replied hours later. _Every time I try to talk to him, it's like he's ignoring me or not receiving my messages._ _I don't know why he thought he couldn't talk to me. I don't know why he won't now._ _Has he spoken to you at all, by chance?_

 _He did recently,_ Syrus thought to himself, glancing out the window and into the muting colors of the sky. _And you would have died if you saw that._

"Hey _Syyyyyyruuuuuuuus!_ "

The boy practically jumped out of his skin. Amara.

"There's _fooooooooooood!"_

How long had he been reading e-mail!? He hadn't even finished unpacking!

Regardless, Syrus shoved his phone into his pocket and darted out of the room. As he shuffled down the steps, his nostrils picked up on different aromas of meat and spices swirling through the air. The fusion was mouthwatering. Syrus walked through the hall and came into the small wooden kitchen. As he peered over the counter, he saw Hanzo and Amara setting some glasses down on a long, dark kitchen table.

"Smells -" Syrus approached, then froze as he stared at the table. " _Oh my gosh_!"

"Something wrong?" Hanzo asked, freezing mid seating.

"Oh! No! It's just…" Syrus thought fast. "It looks really good!" was what he said. _There's enough here to feed the whole Upper East Side!_ was what he thought.

Short ribs, sausages, fish fillets, and several other cuts of beef and chicken were spread all over the table. At the very center of it, he saw a pyramid of fried shrimp. In between all the meat, he beheld _more_ food: A huge bowl of pasta, a smaller bowl of marinara sauce, and a dish full of mashed potatoes. And between all of that, there was a pitcher full of water, different types of salad dressing and sauces, and a small plate with a block of Parmesan. Syrus could barely tell where the food ended and where the plates and silverware began.

Was this how they fed Obelisk Blues back at the Academy?

"Hanzo has no equal when it comes to cooking," Amara praised as she sat down.

Hanzo followed suit, turning to Syrus. "We've got a lot here, so eat as much as you'd like. Want some water?"

"Uhhh, sure." Syrus said, still staring at everything on the table.

Once that was taken care of, Hanzo helped himself to three pieces of chicken, two ribs, and a spoonful of pasta. Amara followed suit, taking a piece of fish (which turned out to be halibut) and a small pile of shrimp.

"This is the most amount of food on one table I've seen in my life," Syrus marveled. To start with for now, he took a few shrimp, a sausage, and some salad with a light drizzle of Italian dressing.

"When it comes to food, we Yukis don't play around," Hanzo said, biting into a chicken leg.

Amara swallowed a piece of fish. "Especially meat," she quipped as she popped a shrimp into her petite mouth.

 _Yep. They're all definitely cut from the same cloth,_ Syrus thought, amused.

It turned out what Amara said was true. Syrus had eaten plenty of tasty barbecue in his life. But all of that paled compared to the meat Hanzo had prepared. And the shrimp...no wonder Jaden loved fried shrimp so much. The flavors sang a siren's song composed of Parmesan and garlic on his taste buds, and compelled him to return for more and more. This banquet was decadent, underscored by the first explosion of flavor in his mouth after months of Slifer Red's meager meals.

An hour later, Syrus felt like Exodia was about to obliterate his stomach and he had a feeling this was going to carry into the next morning. The three of them had put a quite a dent in the buffet, but there was a strong chance tomorrow would entail leftovers.

"Hanzo…" Syrus said. "That's the best I've eaten in forever."

" _Yes! Sweet!_ " Hanzo growled excitedly as he pumped his fists.

"Looks like you knocked it out of the park again, babe," Amara trilled.

"Do you want some help with the dishes?" Syrus asked.

"Nah," Hanzo replied. "You've had a long day. We'll take care of it tonight."

"You guys have already done so much for me," Syrus insisted. "I really don't mind helping."

Amara smiled warmly. "You're so sweet." She stood up, hands on the table. "Wanna know how you can pay us back tonight?"

"How?" Syrus attentively asked.

Hanzo stood up as well. "Just relax and make yourself at home. We've got the kitchen."

Something told Syrus that pressing further wouldn't get anywhere. "All right," he sighed.

Amara clicked her tongue and flashed a thumbs up, throwing a wink his way as well. Syrus walked out of the kitchen and back up the stairs.

He truly wouldn't have minded helping them, but there was another reason he wanted to help them slick up the kitchen. _She_ was peering from the corner of his mind. She had been there for a while, but Syrus had ordered her to stay there. If she walked out, she would have taken over his mind. With Amara and Hanzo insistent that they let him relax for the night, they had invited her to the center of his thoughts. As Syrus closed the door behind him, she glided into the middle of his mind, smiling at him softly with a piercing spark as she always did.

He sat on the bed, bringing his knees to his chest and wrapping his arms around his legs. There was no one left. She wasn't in the hospital over something that would take a couple of weeks to fix.

" _She was without oxygen for ten minutes_ ," Sheppard had said solemnly. _"The doctors said there's a chance she might have brain damage."_

Brain damage. _Brain damage._ His mother - _their mother -_ could wake up and not be able to speak, or move, or remember her own sons' faces. And even if she lived to tell the tale...he'd be the only son to hear it.

 _Mom_ , Syrus thought. _How did this happen? You seemed fine when I last talked to you. The next thing I know, you could have died._ He sniffed. _Why now?_ Tears pricked the edges of his eyes. _What if...what if you don't wake up? What if I'm left...all alone?_

The sound of a flatline pierced his brain. It was enough to push the boy over the edge, and his grief came unshackled and crashed into him like a tsunami. Syrus shut his eyes and keeled further into his legs, quietly sobbing as he fell onto his side, curled into a ball.

 _Zane, why?_ he pleaded mentally. _Why wouldn't you talk to Mom? To me? Why did this happen to you?_ _ **What**_ _happened to you!?_

The hurricane raged inside with a tumult Syrus wasn't used to. The last time grief cut him this deep was all those years ago, as a folded up American flag was given to his weeping mother. Time eventually sutured the wound closed. But now, the same knife lurked near the first stitch, grinning as it waited for his mother to pass and for Zane to disappear into the darkest corners of wherever he felt inclined.

He finally exhausted his tears and lay on the bed for a moment. His mind had fogged up during the course of his episode, and the vapor lingered, swirling in his head. He propped himself and rubbed the edges of his eyes before he opened them. As he took a breath to pull himself together, he looked down.

He jumped so far back, he nearly fell to the floor. Lying on its back, in front of him, was a black teddy bear with a cream colored muzzle and foot pads.

"Mi...Mr. Fuzzy Bear?"

He glanced over at the headboard. He could have sworn he only propped it against the pillows, but here it was in front of his face. When had it…? Syrus decided not to think about it. In truth, his brain was barely up to it. He picked up the toy and gazed at its happy face.

In moments of uncertainty during the night, Syrus hadn't hesitated to cling to the bear as something...or _someone_ to hold onto. By the time he was promoted to Ra Yellow, however, the bear's services became less and less required. But Syrus never truly let it go. He didn't dare.

"Dad," he whispered.

Syrus looked out the window. The town outside was practically dark now, with lamp posts still softly humming their light.

No. He wouldn't give up on his mom. She was in a coma, but she was still alive. And because there was still air in her lungs, there was hope. A tiny glimmer, yes, but still enough for Syrus to latch onto. And he also had a roof over his head, (too much) food in his stomach, temporary guardians that adored him, and there was a piece of home in his hands. Mount Sinai Hospital - Domino was a ten minute drive, forty five by foot. She wasn't far away at all.

...Tomorrow, he decided. Tomorrow, he would go see her.

So, for now, Syrus just squeezed the bear to his chest. Maybe...maybe he could work with this. Maybe Zane would turn around and come back for him and their mom. Maybe they could finally go home as a family… Maybe…

Maybe this would all be okay in the end. Just as long as that glimmer of hope continued shine.

* * *

 **If you managed to make it to the end of the chapter, yay! I know. It wasn't exactly an action packed chapter, but I still hope you were entertained.**

 **On that note, the last four months weren't just spent trying to weather through the real world. While this was waiting to be beta'd, I started on Chapter 4! It's not quite complete, but I know what I want accomplished in the chapter, and I've been plugging away at it while this chapter was undergoing editing. While I can't guarantee an ETA, I can say the fourth chapter will probably be up much sooner than this one was. XD**

 **And as much as I'd like to relish getting this one finally published, there's no time to waste. Time to get back on Chapter 4!**

 **Thank you for following _Hand of Sorrow_!**


	4. Pulse

**Hello, everybody, and happy August! How unusual that I'm posting the fourth chapter of this fic on August 4th. It'd be cooler if it were April 4th, but that's not the case. Oh well!**

 **I also want to thank everyone who has followed this story and left reviews and exercised patience as I get these chapters where I want them to be. I am so happy to finally share this one with you; I was really looking forward to getting to this point from the beginning and we're here now! But I've got on long enough. *sings* Let's get down to reading! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. :)**

 **Be warned: This chapter is HUGE. I didn't set out to make it this big. It just kinda happened.**

 **Yu-Gi-Oh! GX is (c) Kazuki Takahashi and** ** _Final Destination_** **is (c) New Line Cinema.**

* * *

 **Chapter IV**

 **Pulse**

Jaden could imagine himself enjoying flying...if he could stay awake during a flight. It never mattered how short it was; right when the crew was reviewing safety precautions, Jaden would be absolutely out and in his subconscious Shangri-La in sixty seconds. Such was no different as nearly five hundred students, himself included, boarded for their flight home for the summer. In his dreams, his Elemental Heroes and his Neo-Spacians combined forces to battle opponent after opponent. Every new face was defeated as quickly as it appeared.

"This is your captain speaking." A crackly, monotonous voice punctured the fabric of his dreams. "We are approaching JFK International Airport, please remain in…"

Jaden knew the drill. Though he had returned to the real world, he kept his eyes closed even as the wheels bumped against the concrete and rolled into the hangar. As it wheeled to the gate, Jaden could feel the anticipation of all four hundred and twenty-four students teeming in the small cabin. He only opened his eyes once the plane came to a full and complete stop, and immediately, all of the students started their attempted exoduses, pushing against each other as they tried to either get up, get their stuff, or advance towards the door. Jaden remained in his seat towards the back of the cabin, however.

Once the plane was mostly cleared out, Jaden finally got up, retrieved his stuff from the overhead compartment, and walked down the aisle, out the door, and out of the flight gate.

 _Okay,_ he thought. _Where's baggage claim again?_

Jaden walked through the mass of people, following all the signs that pointed him in that direction. Just before he relinquished his PDA, he had found a message from his mother.

 _You're coming home tomorrow! I can't believe it! Well, I can, but I still thought we'd never see you again!_

 _Hanzo and I absolutely LOVE having Syrus here. He is so sweet! In fact, he actually volunteered to wait at the house until you got home so that we could see you first! Hanzo insisted, but he just told us to go ahead because he just saw you last week._

Jaden smiled at his mother's words. She and his father finally got their wish: Meeting Syrus Truesdale. But then, there was the other half of that message.

 _He seems to be taking everything okay. After the first night, he's been going to see his mom every day. She's stable, but there haven't been any changes. He told us what happened to his dad - my heart hurts thinking about it. Both of us have volunteered to go with him, but he keeps saying he doesn't want to force us to go with him. Thank Ra the hospital's not far from home. But Syrus knows he's safe with us. I never realized just how much of a rock you were to him. Knowing that, no matter what happens to his mom, I hope this process and the next one will be easier for him with you around._

 _Hope Sy's okay,_ Jaden thought to himself as he kept on walking. He understood Syrus, in all honesty. When his cards completely faded on him, it was as if his link between them had been forcibly cut, with no clear hope of tying the frayed ends back together. Fortunately, they did come back together, and with his new army of Neo-Spacian buddies, he was able to save the world again (which Amara could never know, for his sake as well as everyone else involved). But for Syrus, the links between him and what was left of his family were fragile, clinging to each other by a thread that got weaker by the day. For Syrus, this was way worse.

All of a sudden, an image surfaced from the pool of the darker part of his subconscious: His father lying in a hospital bed, his eyes shut, and so far under that no stimulus could provoke him. A nasal cannula hooked up to him just so he could breathe. A heart monitor steadily beeping, but bringing no comfort to his wife, waiting for something to happen. A flatline. A twitch. _Anything._

Jaden broke into a sprint. He needed to see his best friend, sooner rather than later.

He scuttled down the escalator towards baggage claim.

"'Scuse me - sorry - watch out - don't mind me -" Jaden went through every apology in the book as he weaved through a stream of people. He glanced over into the vast area every now and then, looking out to find his parents somewhere in there.

Once he got down the escalator, he found them within a New York minute, Amara in her work uniform and Hanzo in a black, plaid flannel overshirt, a yellow T-shirt, and blue jeans.

"Mom! Dad!" he called.

"JADEN!" Hanzo yelled, waving at his son.

"JAY!" Amara's shriek leapt several octaves. Jubilation sent her hopping into the air.

As Jaden tore across the room, Amara darted towards him as well, their laughter seeming to harmonize in the air. Once they were merely yards from each other, Jaden stopped short, opening his arms and dropping his stuff. Amara responded by leaping into him as mother and son embraced for the first time in...it felt like _forever_. They squeezed each other tightly with a force that would have broken the school superintendent's back a hundred times. Jaden's hold on Amara was underscored by the slim chance he barely managed to seize in saving her - and the planet - from the Society.

Hanzo approached her from behind.

"You didn't eat anything before you got on the plane, did you?" Hanzo asked.

"Nope!" Jaden beamed.

"Sweet! Let's do this!" Hanzo pumped his fist.

Jaden jumped up and put his arms around his father's neck. He released them as Hanzo put him over his shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Amara dart out of the way. She knew what was about to happen.

Hanzo turned on his heel and jerked into motion, rapidly spinning in place. Jaden's arms flew outward as he went with him. They were a two piece human oscillating unit, complete with the sound of Jaden's jubilant cries.

"Oh _yeeeeeeah_! Never! Stop! Spinning me! _WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_!"

He felt a few weird looks being fired the family's way. He didn't care. Everyone had a homecoming ritual. This was one between Hanzo and Jaden - to have the father lift the son over his shoulder and spin him in circles until dizziness claimed them both. Jaden felt his brain starting to lean against the right side of his skull when Hanzo finally slowed to a stop.

"You okay, Jaden?" Hanzo asked as he put his son down on his feet.

"Think so," Jaden's brain had rebounded into the center of his skull, knocking the world off kilter. Now _it_ was spinning. "You?" Jaden stumbled slightly.

Hanzo stumbled backward. Unbeknownst to him, there was a woman pushing a cart of luggage behind him...which Hanzo scuttled toward and crashed into, knocking almost every bag onto the floor. As he lay over the cart and the woman tried to recover herself, Amara shot him a knowing look.

"I'm driving!" She looked back at Jaden and beamed. "So good to have you home, baby."

"How's Syrus?" Jaden asked. The airport was coming back into focus.

Amara shrugged. "He was okay when we left." She sighed. "He's such a trooper, but I'm still worried."

"Well, yeah," Jaden said.

Amara smiled at him in acknowledgment. "I think his mood will pick up a bit when he sees you."

"Hope so."

Jaden wanted nothing more than to see his friend happy. But if there was anything he knew, it could be a while before his storm quelled. So he vowed to himself that no matter how hard the waves came crashing or how stormy the sky, Jaden would be the rock on which Syrus could rest.

"Ooooh," Hanzo groaned as he finally sat up, rubbing his head.

"You okay, babe?" Amara asked, glancing at her fallen husband.

"...Yeah, you're driving," Hanzo said.

"Don't stay dizzy, you gotta make dinner," she quipped. She turned to Jaden once more. "What do you want?"

"Well, you know I love his fried shrimp!" Jaden beamed. Fried shrimp was fried shrimp in his eyes, but Slifer Red's was slop next to Hanzo Yuki's.

Amara grinned. "How did I guess you were gonna say that?"

The Yukimobile's inner walls were abuzz with Jaden's stories about this second year at Duel Academy - except for the major one about the Society of Light. There had been an unspoken arrangement between Hanzo and Jaden that Amara would never know she almost lost her son _again_. Five times in the previous year was more than she could handle. Six would just push her over the edge, and Jaden did _not_ want to know what Amara would do if she found out that bringing down the Society was a task only Jaden could undertake.

He especially didn't want to see the looks on their faces when they found out about his disastrous attempt to leave the Academy by boat early on that year. But he knew there was one thing they'd be happy to hear about.

"Oh yeah, Mom, Dad," he started. "Remember those Neo-Spacian cards I made for that contest when I was a kid?"

"Of course!" Amara said. "I loved those cards. Especially that panther."

"Well, guess what showed up in a KaibaCorp satellite that crashed on the beach?" Jaden said, grinning from ear to ear.

It was quiet for a moment. Then…

"WHAT!?" Amara stomped on the brake at a red light. The force sent Hanzo violently lurching forward, but fortunately, the seatbelt braces him. "So, you _won_ that contest!?"

Jaden shrugged. "Guess so."

"Ra's scaly throat hackles! Hanzo!" Amara exclaimed. "Do you understand what this means!?"

"That we need to check our spam folders more often?" Hanzo asked, sitting back up and adjusting himself.

"I thought about that, but Hanzo, our son is a card designing genius!" Amara cooed. "Now we know he can go work for Industrial Illusions with Chumley if he wants to! Did we make copies of his drawings!?"

Right then, she saw the light turn green.

"We gotta find them!" She practically crushed the gas pedal, jerking Hanzo and Jaden back and making them shriek as the car tore forward.

"Jaden, before your mother makes us extras in _Final Destination,_ any ideas on why the heck a KaibaCorp satellite suddenly crashed on the beach with the cards you designed when you were, what, six!?" Hanzo squawked as he braced himself against the seat.

"Nope!" Jaden cried out. _Actually, yes, but Mom doesn't need to know._

"Show us the cards when we get home!" Amara said. "Hanzo, we're gonna need extra shrimp tonight!"

"Mar, would it kill you to slow down so you don't _kill us_!?" Hanzo pleaded.

The Yukimobile cleaved through the busy streets of Queens and Manhattan. Amara barely let up on the gas pedal, only truly slowing down once she turned into their neighborhood in Domino. As soon as she pulled up to Casa de Yuki, Jaden burst from the backseat and started running up the concrete pathway to the front door.

"Jay? Your luggage?" Hanzo called.

Jaden brushed his father's words aside and hurried into the house. When he stepped into foyer, he could hear a loud explosion just a few rooms away - no, not a bomb, Jaden realized. The TV was on. He practically flew down the hall and into the kitchen. To the right of the counter, there were two-quarters of a red wall, which led into a cream-colored room with a brown leather couch and a forty-two inch screen TV mounted on a dark mahogany stand.

And just above the leather couch, there was a tuft of aqua hair sticking up.

"Syrus!" Jaden called.

The boy on the couch jumped, and then quickly turned his body to see who had greeted him, grabbing onto the back for support. Syrus smiled wider than he had in weeks.

"Hey Jay!" he said.

Jaden loped over to the couch, clamped his hands against the backrest, and leapt, bringing his legs upward. Unfortunately, as he swung his legs forward, his foot bumped against the back. Jaden squawked as he plunged forward, bouncing off the leather cushions and onto a red, Victorian patterned rug, banging his face against the coffee table.

"Jaden!" A bag of chips rustled as Syrus shot upright.

"Man, I forgot how high the couch is!" Jaden replied, sitting up and rubbing his forehead. He hissed. "Well, it's better than dealing with the Shadow Riders or Society of Light." He looked behind him. Fortunately, it looked like Amara wasn't in earshot.

"Are you okay?" Syrus asked.

"Yep! ...What kind of chips are those?" The pain immediately fled Jaden's brain at the sight of the bag.

"Mozzarella and marinara," Syrus replied. "Want some?"

"Thought you'd never ask." Jaden stood up and jumped onto the couch, yanking a handful of chips as he sat back. "What are we watching?"

"Just some Pro League Duels," Syrus said candidly. "One of them's a Duel Academy graduate."

"Yeah?" Jaden asked through a mouthful of chips. "Do we know them?"

"I think his name's Daren." Syrus glanced at the screen. "Yeah, Daren Ludna."

Jaden raised an eyebrow at a young brunette man wearing a blue suit. "Don't recognize him."

"I think he graduated the same year as Zane," Syrus explained.

"Who's his opponent?" Jaden asked.

"Don't know her." On the other side of the arena, there was a young woman with long, platinum blonde hair and icy blue eyes. She was garbed in a simple black mini-dress, a silver moto jacket, and black boots. Allure Queen LV. 7 stood poised in front of her. (ATK: 1500) Syrus squinted at the blonde. "Bridget...Partachiso, I think they said her name was? The Duel's practically over."

"Yeah?" Jaden asked. (Bridget: 3700, Daren: 200)

On the screen, Bridget threw her arm out towards her opponent. "Allure Queen LV. 7, attack him directly!" The bewitching Spellcaster-Type monster twirled in place as she spun her staff, the jewel at the top glowing a ruby color. She then thrust her staff forward, and a crystalline fireball expulsed out, tearing towards Daren. The youth cried out as it struck him in the chest and threw him onto his back. (Daren: 0)

"And a landslide victory for Bridget Partachiso!" the announcer called. "With this loss, Daren Ludna officially re-enters the amateurs!"

Daren had sat up at this point, and a look of pure shell shock crossed his face. Bridget just threw a smirk and a wink in his direction before strutting out of the arena.

"The amateurs?" Jaden asked as the announcer made his closing remarks.

Syrus' gaze faltered to the coffee table. "That was apparently Daren's tenth loss in a row."

"Wow," Jaden remarked, bemused.

"...Jaden?"

"Yeah?"

Syrus was quiet for the longest time. "...In that Duel...what did I do wrong?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Jaden asked.

Syrus put a hand to his temple. "I was so close. I could have had Zane remember himself. But I don't know what I did wrong! Was it me using Life Force so much? Should I have summoned a different monster when I summoned that one monster? Should I have waited to use Power Bond? Should I -"

"Hey, Sy, that wasn't your fault," Jaden reassured. "If Zane didn't play De-Fusion, you totally would've had him."

"Could I have done something before then though? To beat him? What if he never snaps out of this?"

Jaden glanced back at the TV as it cut to a commercial about a Duel Disk upgrade. "He has to at some point. I mean, yeah, he's…" _The worst kind of Duelist there is._ "Not playing around, but even that can't last forever."

"How can you be so sure?" Syrus asked.

"It just doesn't make sense for him to resort to this kind of thing overnight," Jaden said. "I'm no shrink, but even I know that."

Syrus sighed. "I just wish Zane said something. What kind of sick person puts themselves through electrocution in the middle of a _card game_!? How did he even get involved in something like this?"

"I don't know," Jaden admitted honestly. "I mean, Dueling is supposed to be a super sweet experience, not what...not what you and Zane did."

"Yeah," Syrus concurred.

Unbeknownst to either boy, a concoction of aromas was creeping its way from behind them. It took its time, but it eventually floated into the TV room. Once it did, both boys' nostrils picked up the scent faster than a sniffer dog in a limousine full of cocaine. Jaden immediately spun and lifted himself onto his knees. Sure enough, Hanzo was working busily in the kitchen, a conflagration blazing between three burners and two cast iron skillets being tossed in his hands.

"Three ways?" Jaden called.

"Heck yeah!" Hanzo said, putting one skillet down and picking up another. The shrimp rocketed toward the ceiling as he tossed, only to come perfectly crashing back into the pan. "Oh! Syrus!"

"Yeah?" Syrus got onto his knees and peered over the couch.

"How much spice do you like?" Hanzo asked.

"I usually prefer mild, but I can go to medium," Syrus replied.

"We'll serve the harder spices separately!" Amara ran for a cupboard to find bowls.

"Kay. Thanks!" Syrus glanced at Jaden. "Man, when you said your dad was a good cook, you weren't kidding."

"Yep." Jaden nodded, grinning with pride. "My favorite food is anything he makes. Especially his fried shrimp."

"Has he thought about opening a restaurant or a food truck?"

"Eh, if anyone was gonna do that, that would be Mom," Jaden said. "She's always enjoyed working. Dad's happier just staying home and chilling with me."

Syrus nodded. "Your dad taught you how to play Duel Monsters too, right?"

"Not so much taught as we figured out the rules as we went," Jaden said. "But he did give me my HEROes."

Syrus' eyes widened as if Jaden had said he had a long lost sister. "Your HEROes are Hanzo's!?"

" _Were_. He used to beat me all the time. But then we switched decks one day and then he let me keep the HEROes after I beat him."

"The more I think about it, I think my dad had an influence of my deck," Syrus said.

Jaden glanced at him. "Yeah?"

Syrus nodded. "I really started building after he died. Patroid was the first card I got for it."

Jaden nodded. "Makes sense, considering your dad was a cop."

"And Marie Antoinette said, ' _Let them eat shrimp'!_ " Amara called.

"She said cake!" Hanzo corrected.

"Cake, shrimp, who cares, 'cause we're eating!"

Syrus had quickly discovered that it was Yuki tradition to make enough dinner to feed a whole continent. Fortunately, between him, Hanzo, and Amara, half of that continent could be fed in a single night. Syrus had also learned a long time ago that Jaden's stomach could take in enough food to feed another quarter of that continent, and that what was left could last a few nightly hours until they all ate it over the course of the next day. So he had long since lost all concern about this mountain range of fried shrimp three ways (traditional, Parmesan crusted, and Cajun styled) flocked by ponds of different sauces - from sweet and sour to sriracha to garlic cheese and even more beyond that - and four types of salad not making it through the next few days.

Hanzo and Jaden sculpted three small hills of each type of shrimp on their plates and created tiny pools of three different sauces for each one. And then they both started compacting the shrimp into their mouths. Syrus had long been used to seeing Jaden do this with anything edible put in front of him, but one week with Hanzo and Amara brought back that sense of wonder as to how one boy - let alone one _family_ \- could put away that much shrimp in one go.

Amara stabbed several leaves of salad on her fork and bit them all clean off before she answered Syrus' question: "When you marry a Yuki, you don't just get their name." She took some of the Cajun flavored shrimp. "You get their appetite too."

Jaden and Hanzo heartily swallowed the mouthfuls of shrimp. Hanzo patted his stomach afterwards, satisfied.

"Slifer Red's shrimp is good, but it's got nothing on yours, Dad," Jaden beamed.

"Why _don't_ you want to open a restaurant, Hanzo?" Syrus asked. "I mean, I haven't tasted their food, but you probably outdo every chef in Obelisk Blue!"

"I was actually meant to take over the family restaurant," Hanzo said candidly. "But my plans changed after I met Mar."

Syrus' eyes widened. "Wait, you gave up being an executive chef to marry Amara?"

Hanzo smiled warmly. "Best decision I ever made." Amara's cheeky grin back was tempered with affection.

Syrus sensed there was more to Hanzo's story, but opted not to press. Instead, he took some Parmesan crusted shrimp.

"Speaking of Obelisk Blue," Amara started. "Did you finish that exam, Syrus?"

Jaden raised his eyebrows as he glanced at his best friend. "You started already? Don't you have till the end of the summer?"

"I do," Syrus confirmed. "But it's four months. I figured, why not start now?"

Jaden shrugged.

"How did your tests go, Jaden?" Hanzo asked.

The question abruptly interrupted the bite of Cajun shrimp Jaden was about to take. "Uhh…"

"You slept through them, didn't you?" Syrus quickly concluded.

"Maybe?" Jaden answered sheepishly.

Hanzo groaned loudly. "Jaden."

"Considering how many times he's saved the world _through_ Dueling, is a written exam even necessary?" Amara asked, skepticism clear on her face. "Let's not forget how many people he wipes the floor with over there."

"One of these days, winging it isn't going to be an option for you, Jaden," Hanzo calmly chided. "How much of the finals did you sleep through?"

"Well, I'll probably still pass," Jaden answered.

"But still be in Slifer Red," Amara finished.

Jaden shrugged. "Honestly, Slifer's not that bad of a dorm. Anyways, Sy, you went and saw your mom today?" He piled on more shrimp.

Syrus nodded. "Since I got home, I've been going to see her every day. The hospital's only a forty-five minute walk from here."

"How is she?" Jaden asked.

Syrus' gaze fell to his empty plate. "Still under. No change. They're still waiting for her PET scan to come back."

"Have you heard from your brother at all?" Hanzo asked.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jaden saw the fork in Syrus' hand begin to tremble under his visibly taut grip.

"N-No." Though the word was soft, it was clipped. "Honestly though, he's probably been so busy. I'm sure he's thinking about her."

Unbeknownst to Syrus, Jaden was listening with an intent the Duel Academy teachers would have been exasperated by.

 _Thinking about her, huh?_ Before anyone noticed the shift in his demeanor, Jaden grabbed a handful of Cajun shrimp and shoved it in his mouth. As he chewed, he let the flavors of cayenne, paprika, and oregano drown his taste buds. Oh, it felt good to be home, and he was so happy Syrus was here. He looked over at his best friend, who was laughing at some quip Amara had made.

 _He might be happy to be here,_ Jaden mused. _But I know this isn't where he wants to be._

After the four of them ate enough to feed two third world countries, Hanzo and Amara once again took on the task of cleaning up (despite Syrus' insistence on helping again ). So the two boys decided to head upstairs.

"Wanna check out my room?" Jaden entreated at the top of the stairs.

"Sure," Syrus replied with a shrug.

Jaden opened the door across from the guest room and let his friend inside. Bright red walls barraged Syrus' eyes as he walked in, but the assault was tempered by numerous posters. Syrus recognized two of them immediately - one of them was from a television show with the Dark Magician Knight as the main protagonist ("Who _doesn't_ love that show?" Jaden quipped when Syrus asked). The second one, wrapped in a silver frame on an ivory wall...

"Isn't that the poster you got at the Yugi exhibit last year?" Syrus asked, glancing above his headboard.

"Yep!" Jaden beamed as he plopped onto his steel blue sheeted bed, crossing his legs into Indian style. "I mailed it straight home afterwards so Mom and Dad could keep it safe. When I came home, I found out Dad framed it."

Syrus smiled at the memory of the exhibit and the pre sequent Duel. "What did they think of you beating Yugi's deck?"

Jaden laughed. "Bummer I couldn't have told them in person," he said. "I think Mom about fainted, she was so excited."

Syrus chortled as if to ask why he wasn't surprised. However, his amused expression quickly faltered into one of solemnity.

"Hey, Jay?"

"What's up?"

His friend was quiet for a moment. "Do you… wanna come with me to see my mom tomorrow? If not, it's okay, I -"

"Oh heck yeah," Jaden chirped. "I'll go with you every day if you want me to."

"Yeah?" Syrus smiled. "Thanks. She's always wanted to meet you, you know."

The words struck Jaden. "Your mom's wanted to meet me?"

Syrus cheekily smiled. "I might've told her a thing or two about you."

"Hopefully good things," Jaden quipped.

"Mostly," Syrus joked back. However, his face turned serious once more fairly quickly. "And, also…" He turned to the wall in front of him. "I think you should meet my dad too. That is, if you want to."

Jaden gasped slightly, and his eyes widened. "...You mean-"

"His birthday was on the eighteenth. I was just so caught up in everything, that I…" Syrus put his hands to his temples. "Oh gosh, I'm a terrible son."

"Hey, I'm sure he'd understand," Jaden consoled. "You've had a lot going on."

"Well…" Syrus started. Jaden attuned his ears to listen, but Syrus shook his head. "Never mind. It's not important."

Jaden eyed Syrus strangely. "Well, if you wanna go see your parents tomorrow, I'm down. I'd like to meet them too."

The soft smile on Syrus' face glowed with gratitude. "Thanks, Jay."

"You got it. Wait." He put a finger to his chin. "What's tomorrow?"

Syrus thought quickly. "The twenty-fourth."

"I mean what day," Jaden clarified.

"Oh." Syrus reviewed their place on the calendar once more. "Friday."

"Friday?" Jaden computed that information, and then a spark glinted in his eyes. "Hey! That's food truck day!"

"Food truck day?" Syrus asked.

"Yeah, Domino City Plaza does this thing every summer where different food trucks show up every Friday. It's different every week, so it's almost never the same trucks."

That piqued the Syrus' interest. "Sounds interesting. Can we go after we see Mom and Dad?"

"I'm game!" Jaden cheered.

"Cool," Syrus replied. "...Jay. There's one more thing I need to ask you."

"Yeah?"

Syrus lowered his head, his large silver eyes fixated on the floor.

"What makes you think…" He trailed off into silence. "Actually, never mind." He rose and started walking towards the door. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Sy?" Unfortunately, either Syrus didn't hear or ignored Jaden calling him, and he closed the door behind him. The brunette only stared at the door, a single name simmering in his mind.

—

The following morning, Jaden woke up feeling like had slept four hours instead of ten. He groaned, rubbing his eyes. He looked up at the clock on the opposite wall. 9:54 am. No doubt Syrus was long awake at this point, and…

 _Mom's been at work for a few hours,_ Jaden deduced.

Some of that grogginess was chipped off by a friendly chirp.

"Oh, hey," Jaden muttered. Winged Kuriboh floated in front of him, emitting a questioning peep.

"More or less," Jaden replied. "I gotta be honest, buddy. I don't know what to do about this whole Zane thing." He glanced out the window of his room. The sky was clear, cloudless - ideal for the first day of vacation. "I wanted to be with Syrus after that, so I stayed, but...should I have just done what Hassleberry did? Go after him and challenge him to a Duel? Why did I just let him get away?"

Winged Kuriboh warbled in dissent, then assurance, and then matter-of-factness.

"I wouldn't have cared if I got hurt," Jaden calmly explained. "What Zane did wasn't just wrong. It was… _evil_." He forced that word out, the aftertaste like vomit. "It was evil. And we both saw the end of his Duel with Atticus, he knew... _knows_ what he's doing! I don't understand, Winged Kuriboh! He drops off the face of the Earth after he lost to Aster, and then the next thing we know, _this_ happens."

Winged Kuriboh's peep was heavy with reminiscence. Jaden's memory of his once-friend was still fresh; the memory of a cool and sharp-tongued, but nonetheless selfless, humble, and reverent young man. Even though their paths didn't cross often, and maybe Zane didn't _quite_ put him in that camp, Jaden had no problem calling Zane his friend.

 _That day_ , he had scraped that title off, leaving an ugly scratch in Jaden's heart-

 _Wait. We're visiting Sy's mom and dad today._

Jaden went through his morning rituals and threw on a red T-shirt, blue jeans, and some sneakers before tearing downstairs and into the kitchen. He skidded to a stop when he noticed Hanzo steadily drinking out of a mug - no doubt tea.

"Yo," Hanzo said when he swallowed.

"Morning," Jaden replied. His eyes flicked around the room and realized something was missing. "Where's Sy?"

"Bathroom," Hanzo explained, setting his mug down. "I hear you're going with him to see his mom and dad today."

"That's the plan," Jaden confirmed. He walked over to the refrigerator and pulled the doors open.

"What time are you planning to go?"

Jaden crouched to examine the lower part of the fridge. "Whenever he wants to." He pulled out a bag of leftover fried shrimp. "What are you doin'?"

Hanzo shrugged. "Dunno yet. Might watch some TV while I mull over that." He took another sip of tea as Jaden poured some of the shrimp into a bowl, threw the bag back into the fridge and then the bowl into the microwave, and then heated the dish to a perfect warmth. He had begun cramming the shrimp into his mouth when he saw Syrus return to the kitchen, dressed in black shorts, a red T-shirt, and a yellow overshirt that was left open.

"Hey Jay," Syrus greeted.

"Hey," Jaden managed through a mouthful of shrimp. He scarfed down the rest of it, and then swallowed. "When do you wanna go?"

Syrus shrugged. "Whenever you want. I don't know if there's anything you need to do, or-"

"Nope!" Jaden chirped, setting the bowl down. "I'm ready when you are."

Syrus' eyes widened in what looked like subtle surprise. "...Okay," he finally said. "I am."

Jaden nodded in acknowledgment and started for the front door with him.

"Syrus," Hanzo called. Both boys paused and turned back to Jaden's father. He simply offered a comforting smile. "Give your mom mine and Amara's love."

Syrus smiled back at him. "Will do."

"Talk to you later, Dad!" Jaden called as he opened the door.

"Otter!" Hanzo shouted.

"Right back at'cha!" Jaden pointed to his father with two fingers as the door closed behind him. Syrus raised an eyebrow as they stepped onto the sidewalk.

" _Otter?_ " Syrus stressed.

"It's a codeword," Jaden explained. "It's how we've said 'I love you' for as long as I can remember."

"Why otters?"

"Dad said something about it, but I don't remember."

Syrus furrowed his brow in contemplation, and then shrugged resignedly.

The friends walked through the neighborhood and then crossed into a branch of Domino that was mostly a strip of small, independently owned shops. Down this street was a flower shop Syrus decided to stop into for a second. Since Syrus promised it wouldn't take long, Jaden leaned against a slab of the white, wooden exterior and waited. About five minutes later, the blue-haired boy returned, carrying a bunch of white chrysanthemums.

"Those for your mom?" Jaden asked.

Syrus shook his head as they started walking again. "For Dad."

Domino wasn't quite teaming with life at this point in the day, but it was beginning to pick up a little with cars going to and fro and people going about their daily businesses like it was any other day - chaperoning their children or exchanging fast words over a cell phone or just walking to wherever. As they crossed into Domino City Plaza, Jaden found his eyes glancing over at the flowers in Syrus' hand.

 _For your dad, huh?_ "Sy, what was your dad like?"

Syrus blinked, apparently surprised by the question. He looked at the flowers in his hand.

"My memories of him are fuzzy," he admitted. "But I remember he was fun. Mom's said he was the bravest man she knew, and the best husband and father."

"So, what's your mom like?" Jaden asked. "You've talked about her, but I don't know much about her."

Syrus smiled softly. "She's…" He thought for a minute. "Strong. Easily one of the most hardworking people I know, and one of the most stubborn. She always makes sure Zane and I know how much she loves us. She always calls us _mó cuishle._ "

Jaden raised both eyebrows. "My goulash?"

Syrus laughed. "No no no. Muh-coosh-la. It's Irish."

"That's right, isn't your mom Irish?"

"Half," Syrus corrected. "My grandpa - her dad - is from Dublin, but she was born and raised here. Grandpa always called her that before he passed."

"What does it mean?"

Syrus looked at him square in the eyes. "It's a shortened version of an Irish phrase. It basically means 'pulse of my heart'."

Jaden thought about it for a second, and then nodded in acknowledgment. "I dig it."

"She's usually pretty quiet," Syrus continued. "But at the same time, she's not afraid to say what she thinks or call you out if she thinks it's necessary. She does that a lot at the casino."

"Cheaters?" Jaden asked. Syrus nodded.

"You'd be surprised how many people try to do that right under her nose," Syrus remarked. "No sense in trying, she'll either catch you or get you kicked off the table."

"Something tells me I wouldn't want to get into a fight with her. She doesn't sound as bad as my mom gets when she's mad, but…"

"Yeah, you know how some people get really quiet when they're mad, and you look at them and you _know_ they're mad? That's my mom."

Jaden grimaced. Anger was one thing. Calm fury was a behemoth in a league of its own. Somehow, _his_ old calm demeanor made sense.

...No. It was still there. The calm just manifested as pain tolerance. And with that thought, a dark reckoning fell over Jaden Yuki.

This was just like two weeks ago, going to someone's side without knowing if they would open their eyes or not. But if this person, the woman who gave birth to both Zane and Syrus, were to die, the world around Syrus would shatter, the debris being left to drift in the abyss. No matter which way someone looked, the circumstances were the same: Syrus Truesdale was alone and on the edge of being an orphan.

His father's death and his mother's current state couldn't be helped. Neither could…

No.

It _could_ be helped.

 _He_ just didn't want to.

He didn't want to believe it. In fact, when Syrus had _first_ mentioned it, Jaden had just thought it to be a charade to get his opponents running into the corner before mowing them down. It wasn't until he was racing at Syrus' side towards the infirmary two weeks earlier that it all hit him.

That was too real to be a charade.

Even good people were capable of absolute viciousness.

And the devil was very much alive, buying souls from the shadowy corners of Earth.

Jaden had been forced to wait outside the infirmary while doctors swarmed over Syrus in their desperate attempts to revive him. And it was in the silence of those empty school halls, when all his fears filtered themselves out, that Jaden encountered someone familiar, but still a distant figure in his life.

Rage.

The moments after the fire first engulfed him were a blur. All Jaden remembered upon hearing Syrus had been brought back was that his knuckles hurt...and there was a slight dent in the wall.

Immediately, though, Jaden pushed his hysteria to the walls of his mind and bulleted to his friend's bedside. But the umbrage whispered to his mind from afar.

 _How could he do this? What has he done? What is he doing?_

Jaden jabbed his hands into his pockets as his eyes met the ground.

 _So,_ he thought. _You came out the winner of that Duel._

"Jaden."

 _I wish you were here right_ now, _because I just have one question for you._

"Jaden?"

 _Does any of this matter to you? Your brother being unable to go home? Your mom lying in a hospital bed? Does_ _ **any of that**_ _matter to you?_

"Uh, Earth to Jaden!"

And just like that, Jaden came crashing back down to reality. The first thing he saw was a blue sign right in front of him that read, "Mount Sinai Medical Center". He looked to his side, only to discover Syrus wasn't there. He spun around quickly, ready to freak out, and found Syrus a few yards from him, shooting him a confused look.

"The door's over here." Syrus pointed to his immediate left.

Jaden grimaced in embarrassment, scratching the back of his head. "Ah, must have spaced out for a second!" he tittered. _I totally wasn't yelling at your brother in my head just now._

Syrus just looked at him with more confusion, but it faded as Jaden rejoined him. The boys walked in and walked across a spacious, tiled white floor to an elevator. With them as the sole occupants (and apparently no one else needing the elevator), it was a short lift up to the intensive care unit. However, they hadn't even started turning to find Syrus' mother's room when…

"Code blue."

Syrus froze dead his tracks, as did Jaden. Jaden hadn't stayed in the hospital often, but he knew code blue meant something _really bad_.

"Room 474. Code blue, room 474."

As some nurses began shifting into action, Syrus relaxed. Jaden glanced at him, and Syrus met his eyes.

"Not her room," Syrus clarified.

Jaden nodded, internally sighing with relief, but grimacing at the thought of what whoever in that room was going through. The human heart was one of the most powerful organs in the body, he remembered. But when it faltered, it hit the ground hard.

The two continued down the hall, eventually coming to a room labeled 459. Syrus took the long handle, pushed down, and gently opened the door. Jaden peered inside to get a look.

The first thing he saw was long, teal hair.

Jaden jumped slightly. _What!? Zane!?_

The initial shock was so great, Jaden's mind threatened to splinter trying to compute it all. Fortunately, however, his wits quickly pulled themselves together, and he took a step closer, focusing on the patient. A woman in long-sleeveded, white hospital gown lay motionless on the bed, a blue blanket pulled to just beneath her chest. Her hair was wild against the white pillow, curling and tangling in sporadic directions. Her facial features were sharp, but edged with femininity. A nasal cannula was hooked into her nose, and one of her lightly toned arms was crossed over her abdomen, the other resting at her side. She was breathing, but it wasn't obvious from a glance.

Syrus pulled a chair from the wall up to her bedside. "Jaden, this is my mom."

"Hi, Mrs. Truesdale," Jaden said with a solemn smile.

"She'd want you to call her Emma," he replied. He turned back to his mother. "Mom, this is Jaden, my friend from Duel Academy."

"Hi, Emma," Jaden rephrased. "It's nice to finally meet my best bud's mom."

Emma Truesdale only remained still.

"That was a ride," Jaden said, still looking at her. "I thought you were gonna look more like Syrus."

Syrus cocked his head towards Jaden, a mock offended look on his face. "Are you saying I look like a girl?"

Jaden grimaced. "N-no! I just- I mean-uh-"

Syrus shook his head. "I'm just kidding. Zane really takes after her. I look a lot more like my dad. I guess that's why Mom always says I got the looks." He turned back to her once more. "Oh. Looks like someone was here already."

"How do you know?" Jaden asked.

"Hyacinths." Syrus pointed ahead. When Jaden looked, there was a thin vase of them resting on the table beside her. "Her favorite," Syrus added.

 _Wonder who left them?_ Jaden wondered.

His gaze fell back on Emma. "So, has she always had this, um...what did you say she had again?"

"Coronary artery disease," Syrus reminded him. "She didn't, but her side of the family has a history of heart disease. She didn't really start having problems until after Dad died. I guess the stress of raising two young kids combined with grieving and trying to find a job just took its toll on her."

"I can guess," Jaden said. "Especially with your dad dying so vio-"

"Jaden, don't," Syrus coldly interrupted. When he saw Jaden's eyes widen, he sighed. "Sorry, I just don't want to talk about that right now."

Jaden nodded. "Okay."

"I just wish I knew what happened," Syrus said. "From everything I heard, she wasn't doing anything extreme, just dealing. And then she just collapsed at her table."

Jaden glanced back over at Emma. The scenario played out in his head much more vividly now that he could attach a name and face to that moment. And then suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, words that had been exchanged two weeks earlier returned to him.

" _How's she taking it?"_ Jaden had asked.

" _Not well,"_ Syrus had replied. " _The first few nights, she tried to get a hold of him to see what was going on. He wouldn't answer her calls."_

 _She had to have been wondering why all this time,_ the back of his mind whispered. _Was she wondering why then?_

All he could imagine was Emma opening her cell phone, only for her hopes of something - _anything_ \- from her oldest son to be dashed. Which torture was worse? Losing a husband in an arrest gone bad? Or losing a child in a shift in the dark? Jaden hoped to never know for sure. All he could really guess was that Emma cried under the cutting pain of each one.

 _Emma,_ Jaden thought. _I can't imagine what you've gone through. But Syrus always says you're strong. I believe him. I trust you, I believe in you._

Jaden looked over at his friend, who only watched her, as if he were anticipating something to happen.

 _But please,_ Jaden pleaded. _Wake up. Syrus needs you, even more now than ever._

His attention went back at the hyacinths on the table. _And whoever left you those clearly needs you too. So, promise me. Promise me you'll wake up and your brain will work fine. Promise me you'll wake up and there will be a way to set your heart right! Promise me… Promise me you'll wake up and still be a mom to Syrus!_

Emma continued to sleep.

 _Please,_ Jaden beseeched.

He leaned against a wall, watching mother and son for a while. Syrus spoke no further words to his mother, but the filial love - though muted to unfamiliar eyes - was as clear as the reflection of water.

Just knowing what was happening was sad enough. Seeing it reamed Jaden's heart. And adding insult to injury, _he_ probably turned two blind eyes away from this when they both needed him most.

"You okay, Jaden?" Syrus asked.

"Huh?" Jaden asked. "Oh, yeah."

"You've just been quiet the last little while," Syrus explained.

"Oh. It's nothing." _I wonder if_ _ **he's**_ _been here at all recently?_ "You doing okay?"

"Yeah. Just worried about her."

"You're remembering she's a fighter though, right?" Jaden asked.

"Not gonna stop me from worrying about her."

"Well, yeah, but from what you told me, I doubt she'd want you to worry this much. She'd probably want you to still find a way to be happy."

Syrus blinked, visibly taken aback by his words.

"I know it's easier said than done," Jaden said with a soft smile. "But I want you to be happy too."

Syrus looked back at his mother, gazing at her somnolent face for a while . However, he eventually nodded.

"You're right, Jay." Syrus stood up, gripping the chrysanthemums in his hand. "What time is it?"

Jaden pulled out his phone. "About eleven thirty."

"Are the trucks there?"

Jaden thought for a second. "Should be."

"Can we...go to them before the cemetery?" Syrus asked. "I just haven't been to my dad's grave in a while. I need some time before I can face him."

Jaden raised both eyebrows. He hadn't counted on Syrus doing this. At the same time though, he wasn't complaining. He smiled and threw his arms behind his head.

"I'm down," he beamed. He looked over at Emma once more. "It was good to finally meet you, Emma," he said.

"Love you, Mom," Syrus whispered. "I'll see you later."

The boys took their exit, Syrus closing the door behind them. He sighed.

"You okay?" Jaden asked.

"Yeah. I've been wondering...what will happen if they can't do anything?"

Jaden opened his mouth to reassure him that nothing bad was going to happen when they heard a set of double doors swing open. A doctor and some nurses were hurrying down the hallway, wheeling a gurney in their direction. The boys sidestepped to get out of their way.

"Blood pressure's one ten over seventy seven," one nurse declared. "Heart rate seventy two per minute. No signs of obvious trauma-"

As the gurney whisked past the two, the patient's face came into clear view. A young woman with platinum blonde hair lay there, her eyes closed, her head inclined to her right, and an oxygen mask over her face. She was dressed in something silver and black, but the blanket on her gurney was pulled too far up for either Jaden or Syrus to see her outfit.

"What the…" The gurney had reached the other side of the room by the time Jaden got the words out. "Did she look familiar to you?"

"She did," Syrus said. "Wait. Oh gosh, I think that was that girl!"

"That girl?" Jaden asked. "Wait, the Duelist from last night?"

"It looked like her." Syrus narrowed his eyes down the direction she went. "I don't think now's the best time to find out. Who knows what they're doing."

"Yeah."

So the two friends walked to the elevator and rode back down to the main floor, once again without interruption.

—

Syrus had been wondering how this rally could happen with so many businesses encircling the plaza, not to mention with how the plaza was built. He got his answer as they approached one of four narrow entryways into it. Lined up against the sidewalk were a rainbow of trucks, a crowd loosely packed around them.

"Wow! Look at all these options!" Syrus exclaimed. "Lobster rolls, tacos -"

"There's a grilled cheese truck here," Jaden realized. He smiled fondly at it. "Chumley would love this."

"Looks like there's a barbecue truck here…" Syrus examined the rest. "A seafood truck, and - _Boxty_!?"

Jaden looked at the green truck on the end and saw what his friend was talking about.

"Out of the Boxty," Jaden read. "What the heck is boxty?"

"It's kinda like an Irish pancake. It's made with potatoes. Mom makes it sometimes and fills it with stuff. I'm going over there."

"Wanna meet in the plaza?"

"Sure. See you in a sec."

Syrus bounded over to the truck as fast as he could. Jaden glanced back over to the grilled cheese truck.

 _I think I'll go there,_ he decided.

Jaden had good timing; the line there had started to calm slightly, so he wasn't far from the front. While he was in line, he took a quick perusing of the options that were available. There were so many good choices, but Jaden's eyes kept returning to one in particular that had tomatoes, onions, and jalapeños…

 _That sounds amazing,_ he thought.

Eventually, Jaden managed to get to the front of the line and order, opting also for some potato chips and a cola on the side.

"Okay, total's eight forty-two, " the redheaded girl in the window said.

Jaden reached into his pocket, whipped out his wallet, and started going through what little cash he had in there.

"Five, six, seven, eight…" he counted to himself. He then checked his other pocket for some change -

 _Uh oh._

He double checked his wallet. The eight dollars were all that was available to him. "Uh…" In that second, Jaden's brain went into a panicked scramble. _Crap! Why didn't I bring change with me!?_

"How short are you?" A mature voice behind him asked.

Jaden whirled around to find a quite tall, olive skinned man with a shaved head and muscular build. He was dressed in a brown jacket that looked like leather, a black turtleneck, and blue jeans.

"Uh, about 5'10?" Jaden answered.

The man cracked a smile and shook his head, a slight chortle slipping through his lips. "I meant on change."

"About forty two cents," Jaden replied honestly.

The man reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out a bill, and walked up to the window.

"Here," he said, extending the bill towards the cashier. "Just use this."

Jaden gaped in shock. "Wait, you for real?"

The man looked back at him and shrugged. "Don't sweat it."

"All right, your change is eleven fifty eight." He took his change back from the cashier.

"While I'm here, let me just get a side salad with balsamic and a bottle of water."

Jaden only stared at him, slack jawed, as he collected his own change. That _never_ happened to him.

"Hey, thanks," he said as he moved out of the way.

"Happens to us all," the man replied.

Jaden grinned. "Looks like I owe you a grilled cheese!"

The stranger only laughed. "You don't need to do that. I'm just glad you get to have your sandwich. What's your name?"

"Jaden. You?"

"Just call me Janda. You out here with friends, or…?"

"Yeah, my best bud and I just got here from visiting someone in the hospital. What about you?"

Janda shrugged. "Man's gotta eat. My office isn't far from here, and I saw all of them coming into the area, so I figured why not?"

"What kind of office do you work in?"

"I'm a private investigator."

Jaden's eyes widened. "Whoa, a PI!? I've only seen them on TV!"

Janda's lips quirked into a humorous smile. "Trust me, Jaden, they're very much a thing in real life."

"So, do you, like, go around watching people and seeing if they're cheating on their wives?"

"More like I get a name and go looking to see if there's something suspicious from their past. That's my specialty."

Jaden blinked. "And what do you do if you find that suspicious thing?"

"Then I give that information to the client that hired me, and let the cards fall where they may unless something crazy happens."

"Kinda like a spy then?"

Janda chuckled. "Nothing that glamorous, I'm afraid."

"Janda for a jalapeño grilled cheese!?" a girl in the truck called.

"Looks like your order's up," Janda observed.

Jaden collected his meal from the window and then turned back to Janda. "Hey, thanks so much for this again! It was really sweet to meet you!"

Janda cracked a smile. "You take care, Jaden."

The teen nodded in acknowledgement and ran off into the plaza.

"Wow!" he said to himself. "That was awesome! Talking to a real PI!"

Domino City Plaza was livelier that ever, especially with students out of school and going out with their friends. When Jaden emerged from the path leading into the plaza, he scanned the area carefully, wondering if Syrus had gone somewhere to sit, or if he had even made it in here yet. For a while, it looked as if, if he _had_ made it inside, Syrus had been swamped over by the crowd. Jaden was about to conclude either that or Syrus hadn't made it here yet when he saw him sitting at a table in the area.

Right next to him was a muscular boy with a yellow bandana covering the top of his black dreadlocks, an army green t-shirt, and khakis.

"HASSLEBERRY! HEY!" Jaden yelled.

That got both the boys' attention. Jaden waved his free hand frantically at them and he ran over. Even from where he stood, he could see the smile burst forth on Hassleberry's face.

"Howdy, Jaden!" he called.

Jaden ran over to his friends, sitting himself beside Syrus. "When did you get here?"

"'Bout ten minutes ago," Hassleberry replied. "That barbecue truck is pretty darn good."

"Looks pretty darn good," Syrus commented, noting two partially eaten ribs and a side of baked beans in a paper container.

"What's that you got there, Sarge?" Hassleberry asked.

"That's boxty?" Jaden asked. "Kinda looks like a chicken burrito."

"It's just the way it's folded up," Syrus explained. He took a bite of his potato pancake. "...Not bad. Not as good as Mom's though."

"Jaden?" a feminine voice called.

All three of them turned to their right and saw a blonde girl in a scallop necked, grey T-shirt and blue capris waving as she walked in their direction.

"Hey Alexis!" Jaden chimed, raising his arm and waving back at her. "Didn't expect to see you here!"

"I could say the same for you," Alexis quipped. She glanced over to his friends. "Hey Syrus. Hey Hassleberry."

"Hey," the other two boys chorused.

"You here for the rally, too?" Jaden asked.

"Yep. Atticus is in Manhattan for the day, and I heard this was happening, so I thought I'd check it out." Alexis sat across from Jaden. He then noticed what she was holding.

"Went with a steak taco, huh?"

Alexis delicately bit into it, and then her eyes rolled back in absolute bliss as she swallowed. "Oh yeah. I missed these."

Jaden's eyes widened. "They don't serve tacos at Obelisk Blue?"

"They have a lot of good and high quality stuff," Alexis said. "But some days, I just want a taco." She glanced over at Syrus. "How's your mom, Syrus?"

Syrus' face suddenly fell. "About the same."

Worry flashed across Alexis' eyes. "I'm sorry, Syrus. Is there anything I can do?"

He shook his head with a slight smile. "I'm staying with Jaden for now, and trust me, they're keeping me fed."

"Hey, it's not our fault we like to eat," Jaden jested, taking a bite out of his jalapeno grilled cheese.

"That's right, you mentioned that back at the Academy," Alexis remembered. "...What are the flowers for?"

Jaden looked back at Syrus. He had forgotten about the chrysanthemums.

"We were gonna head to the cemetery after this," Syrus replied.

Alexis blinked. "That's right. You and Zane..."

"Why's your brother in Manhattan?" Hassleberry asked.

"He's helping a friend who graduated this year move into an apartment up…" She trailed off as her eyes wandered away from the trio of friends and looked to her left.

"What's wrong, Lex?" Jaden asked.

"Is that Chazz?" she asked.

Jaden, Syrus, and Hassleberry all looked ahead. Sure enough, "The Chazz", garbed in a black baseball T-shirt with purple sleeves and black jeans, was moving past them, but seemingly completely unaware of their presence. There was a half-eaten lobster roll in his hands. He must have felt their eyes on him, because as he went for another bite of his roll, he glanced over and stopped abruptly, turning to face them.

"What?" Chazz asked.

"You didn't seem like the food truck type, Chazz," Alexis explained.

Chazz shrugged. "Didn't feel like anything fancy today. Sometimes, it happens to elites, and sometimes, they get bored." He slid into the bench, sitting a few inches from Alexis.

"Well, hey, lobster rolls are delicious," Jaden replied as he opened his bag of potato chips.

"Not to mention probably one of the more expensive items here," he heard Syrus deadpan under his breath.

"They are delicious, but I myself prefer them with lemon." Everyone jumped at the sound of this new voice. They all looked right, and there was a collective gasp among them.

"Oh my gosh!" Alexis cried.

"Bastion!" Jaden exclaimed. "You're back!"

"Back from where?" Syrus asked.

"Didn't you hear about him going AWOL with that Einstein guy?" Hassleberry asked.

Bastion raised an eyebrow. "That's a bit of an exaggeration, Hassleberry, wouldn't you agree?"

Chazz was visibly dumbfounded. "This coming from the guy who literally chased this guy in his boxers after receiving 'enlightenment'."

Bastion looked like he got knocked over by a feather. "I beg your pardon!? I had found the true value of existence unto itself!"

"Bastion," Chazz countered. "You literally followed someone across the whole island in your - urk!" Alexis cut him off with an elbow nudge to his chest.

"What Chazz was about to ask," she interrupted. "was, 'Eisenstein is based in Germany. What are you doing back here in America?'. I kinda figured you'd want to stay there with him."

Bastion's dark eyes darted down to the tiled floor of the plaza. "Well," he started. "Let's just say that sometimes, insight gives false alarms."

Jaden, Syrus, and Hassleberry all glanced at each other, wondering what that meant. None of them opted to ask. When Jaden looked past the fish filet and blueberry and walnut salad he was carrying, he noticed that Bastion was in a grey polo and black slacks - a welcome change from the white uniform. So, too, was the dark gray hair. There was also a yellow book bag crossed over his body.

"I gotta say though, Bastion," Syrus said. "It's nice seeing you without the white hair."

"It's nice having my natural hair back," Bastion admitted. "But the question I have, Syrus, is what are the white flowers for?"

Syrus' gaze fell. "I'll tell you later. How long ago did you get back?"

"Only a few days. But what a mess the Pro Leagues have become."

"Hm?"

"What?"

"Pardon?" There was a chorus of confusion among the friends.

"I take it you haven't heard then," Bastion said. "As of this morning, three Pro League Duelists have been hospitalized after being discovered unconscious and unresponsive."

Syrus gasped. "Wait! I did hear about this! Aleph Mativi and Simon Fiarao...wait. Who was the third Duelist?"

Bastion reached into his bag and pulled out a silver laptop before sitting down and setting his meal aside. "All I remember from the news this morning was that it was a woman...let's see here…"

As he began clicking and typing away, Jaden turned to Syrus. "How did _you_ hear about this?"

"I heard about Aleph after his last Duel," Syrus said. "And Simon was found the morning I came back here."

"And they're all in comas?" Chazz asked.

"From the looks of things, yeah," Syrus replied. "I haven't been keeping up with it, but I think they would have said something had they woken up."

"Here we go," Bastion announced. "The third Duelist's name is Bridget Partachiso."

Gasps fled Jaden and Syrus' lips. "That _was_ her!" Jaden exclaimed. Alexis, Chazz, Hassleberry, and Bastion all shot him confused glances.

"We saw her in the hospital earlier when we were visiting my mom," Syrus explained. "She was being wheeled in. And...she's the third Duelist, you said, Bastion?"

"Correct," the genius affirmed. "From what this article says, she was slumped up against the door of her apartment and it looks like she had been unresponsive since the night before. They had to go in through a window just to get her out."

Syrus blinked. "Jay and I caught the last part of her Duel."

"Kay, I don't know if it's just me, but does anybody else think there's something _weird_ going on here?" Alexis asked.

"Right there with you," Hassleberry affirmed. "How long ago did Private Mativi go under?"

At the same time Bastion began typing on his keyboard, Syrus had been doing the calculation in his head. "About a week ago."

"On June 14th," Bastion added. "He failed to show for a post-Duel appointment with his manager. And then Simon Fiarao went under June 17th, wasn't discovered until early the next day. Bridget was discovered this morning. So no, Alexis, it's not just you."

Chazz shrugged. "What are you getting your brains in knots for? People go into comas all the time. It sucks to be them, but it happens."

"This close together though?" Alexis asked. "I don't know." She clipped her chin between her index finger and thumb.

"She's right," Jaden said. "Maybe if they were spaced out across weeks or months, I wouldn't think about it, but something feels fishy, and it's not Bastion's fish filet."

"...Oh," Bastion suddenly uttered.

"Huh?" Jaden perked his head up to look at him.

"That's not good." His eyes were wide, as if he discovered blueprints to a bomb.

"What is it, Bastion?" Syrus asked.

"We don't know what's causing the comas," he said. "So the logical starting point would be to retrace their steps before they fell comatose."

Something in Jaden's gut told him no one at the table was going to like this.

"All Duel Disks record its owner's wins and losses and store that information in a KaibaCorp database," Bastion continued. "Of course, all KaibaCorp data has a lock and key. I managed to bypass it."

Everybody almost jumped ten feet out of their skin.

"...Bastion?" Syrus asked, visibly unnerved. "How often have you done that?"

Bastion shot his fellow Ra Yellow a mischievous smirk. It quickly softened when Syrus' eyes widened in horror.

"I didn't hack into Duel Academy's computers, if that's what you're wondering," Bastion assured.

Nonetheless, the others exchanged bewildered glances.

"At any rate," he continued. "I checked the data, and… I found a common thread."

"A common thread?" Jaden asked.

"They all faced the same opponent within hours before they went under." He turned his laptop so his friends could see. "And they all lost."

The remaining friends gasped in disbelief.

"Zane!?"

* * *

 **Kay, if you made it to the end of this chapter, I applaud you. I admit I nearly lost my sanity a few times through going over this to make sure I got all the grammatical errors and cleaned up what needed cleaning up.**

 **Fortunately, Arwen and Kristine Angela Booth pulled the gun from my mouth and also polished this chapter, so I thank them profusely.**

 **And I hope, whoever is reading this? I hope you know how much I appreciate you taking the time to read this. Your feedback and your time mean so much!**

 **Thank you for following** ** _Hand of Sorrow!_**


	5. Vow

**Hey guys! Happy New Year! For those of you who are following this story, if you check your alerts, yeah, I know. "Whaaaaaa!? Two chapters in one day!?" Yep! I initially set out to write one chapter...but as I got further and further along, not only did it come out to 10,000 words, so much happened that it made sense to divide it into two. So today, you get a double feature!**

 **Oh wait. The last chapter was 11,000 words and I didn't divide it. Oh well. Yeah, I know. I have a problem with words. Kristine Angela Booth and I joke about this a lot. XD But I digress. I've been looking forward to this part of the story for a very long time now, so I'm gonna stop wasting your time and get down to it.**

* * *

 **Chapter V**

 **Vow**

"Wait...no. No, that can't be right! There has to be a mistake!"

Syrus leaned forward, horror-struck eyes fixated on Bastion's screen. Jaden examined the data his friend had managed to pull, all separated into three windows.

 _ **Duelist ID: 1-39201618**_

 _ **MATIVI, ALEPH**_

 _ **Recent Duels:**_

 _ **LOSS**_

 _ **Opponent: DUELIST ID 2-02154110**_

 _ **TRUESDALE, ZANE**_

 _ **Date: June 14th, 2018**_

 _ **Duration: 7:15 PM - 7:30 pm**_

 _So, we saw Aleph's,_ Jaden thought. _What about the other two?_ He looked over at the next window.

 _ **Duelist ID: 1-39250520 FIARAO, SIMON**_

 _ **Recent Duels:**_

 _ **LOSS**_

 _ **Opponent: DUELIST ID 2-02154110**_

 _ **TRUESDALE, ZANE**_

 _ **Date: June 17, 2018**_

 _ **Duration: 8:13 PM - 8:28 PM**_

He then glanced at the last one and his eyes widened.

 _ **Duelist ID: 1-39183513**_

 _ **PARTACHISO, BRIDGET**_

 _ **Recent Duels:**_

 _ **LOSS**_

 _ **Opponent: DUELIST ID 2-02154110**_

 _ **TRUESDALE, ZANE**_

 _ **Date: June 24, 2018**_

 _ **Duration: 7:39 PM - 7:54 PM**_

 _ **WIN:**_

 _ **Opponent: DUELIST ID 1-39199508**_

 _ **LUDNA, DAREN**_

 _ **Date: June 24th, 2018**_

 _ **Duration: 6:30 PM - 6:37 PM**_

 _So she faced Zane after her duel with Daren,_ Jaden deduced. _How did they run into each other? Did he challenge her or did she challenge him?_

 _...Were the electrodes involved?_ the darkest part of his mind wondered.

"...Okay. That's weird," Chazz relented.

"Are you _sure_?" Syrus pressed. "Are you sure this is right?"

"Syrus, I know you don't want to believe it, but Zane was their last opponent," Bastion gently reminded.

"Hold on," Alexis chimed. "Zane might have been their last Duel, but that doesn't mean he's directly related to this."

"Either way, he's connected somehow," Hassleberry said.

"How?" Syrus urged. "It's only data, not a fingerprint at a crime scene."

 _Oh man,_ Jaden thought. _Sy, there's more than one way to hurt someone._

"Have they found anything of his at their apartments?" Syrus continued.

"Syrus-" Bastion started.

"Bastion, it can't be. He's changed, yeah, but I refuse to believe he's somehow involved in this."

Hassleberry shot Syrus a look like he had just announced he had found a body. "Sarge! Are we sixty-five million years off here? We're talking about the guy who hooked you up to -"

"Hassleberry, that was _my_ choice," Syrus snarled. "He hurt me, but I chose to go through with that."

"Go through with what exactly?" Bastion asked.

"Whoa, everybody _chill out for a sec!_ " Jaden barked, jerking his hands out in front of him.

Immediately, silence fell over the table, all eyes turning to Jaden. "Look, guys, I'm with you. This is _weird._ But weird's kinda our normal. We deal it with it every time we go to Duel Academy. Heck, even _Zane_ faced it head on! He might have changed, but he can't not be noticing this."

"Jaden's right," Hassleberry concurred. "And with these Duelists droppin' without rhyme or reason, we might have a problem bigger than the Society o' Light blasting a brainwashin' laser at us!"

"I definitely think we should do something, but what?" Alexis asked. "Atticus and Syrus tried to get through to him and it backfired on both of them."

"There's also that predicament of everyone he Duels going into the emergency room even before this happened," Bastion pointed out.

"How do we know this is some new, weird Shadow Rider trick?" Chazz asked. "You said it yourself, he was doing this before this whole thing started."

"...Then it means he's getting more dangerous."

The rancor in Jaden's words only bubbled slightly, but it was hot enough for Syrus and Alexis to each cast a glance at him.

"Alexis is right," Jaden declared. "We need to do something, and sooner rather than later, before he hurts someone else."

"Jaden-" Syrus started.

"And what do you suggest we do?" Chazz asked. "Walk up to him and ask if he's putting everybody he Duels into a coma?"

"...Honestly, I don't think he'd deny that," Hassleberry bristled.

" _Guys,"_ Syrus pressed.

"There's 99% risk in Dueling him," Bastion replied. "Whether Zane _is_ doing this or not, it's likely that we may not get answers if we challenge him head-on."

Jaden stood up, planting his hands on the table. "I say we investigate."

"How?" Syrus asked. "We're not exactly detectives."

"I don't know," Jaden thought. "But I don't just wanna know what's happening right now." He lowered his gaze to the table. "...I wanna know what happened to my friend."

Silence hovered over the friends like a lead curtain.

"...I'm in."

Jaden glanced over at Alexis.

"Zane's my friend too," she said. "I want to know what happened."

"Count me in, Sargeant."

Hassleberry pounded his fist to his chest. "This is an act a' treason that's gone unpunished for too long."

"I remember his first Duel back in the Pro Leagues clearly." Bastion clicked his mouse in rapid succession, then closed his laptop. "I'd hate to see him do something he'll regret. I'll help in any way I can."

Their eyes turned to Chazz, who sat there with his arms crossed, eyeing them back strangely.

"Hmph." He shrugged. "Didn't have any plans for the summer anyways." His mouth twitched into the smirk many had come to associate him with. "Always wanted to knock Zane down a peg or ten."

The rest of the group turned on the only person who had barely said a word about Jaden's proposal.

"Sy?" Jaden asked. Though his head was low, the doubt that Jaden often saw on his friend's expression nearly two years earlier had come back.

"...Even when he was right in front of me, he gave me more questions than answers." Syrus' head craned up so he could face his friends. "He walked away before I could get them."

Jaden's eyes widened. When Syrus turned to look at him, his eyes were glowing with a fire Jaden had never seen before.

"I _need_ those answers, Jaden," he said. "Wherever you take us, I'll follow."

Jaden beamed. "Sweet!"

"All right, slacker, where do you suggest we start?" Chazz asked.

Jaden's eyes widened as if the question knocked a shield out of his hand. "Uh, well…" He cupped his chin in his fingers. "What do we know besides the Duelists in the hospital?"

"The first victim, Aleph Mativi, dueled Zane on June 14th at seven fifteen pm," Bastion said. "According to _The Rapier_ , he was discovered later that night, when he didn't show for a post Duel appointment with his manager."

"Time?" Alexis asked.

A flurry of mouse clicks. "Ten forty-one pm."

"What about the others?" Syrus asked.

"Simon Fiarao was found a few days later when his sister broke into his apartment," Bastion replied. "Bridget Partachiso at eleven twenty-one this morning."

Alexis leaned in, computing this information through her mind. "It looks like all of these people had some window between when the Duel ended and when they fell into a coma. They were all able to get home without a problem, and then were found unresponsive when someone tried to get a hold of them."

"Question is, when _did_ they lose consciousness?" Bastion added.

Jaden pondered this knowledge. _So, if they were all getting home before then, Zane couldn't have done anything to them physically. But why does it still feel like something's not right?_ "Did anyone say anything about what Zane did following the Duels?"

Bastion shook his head. "As far as anyone knows, he went home."

"Well, that's just great," Chazz snarked. "That gives us nothing to work with."

"Maybe we should try and narrow down Aleph's Duel first," Alexis said. "Maybe if we can figure out exactly when he lost consciousness we can figure out what could be causing it."

"How?" Hassleberry asked. "I don't think anyone was in the room with him."

Alexis' gaze cast down to her lap. "True."

"It wasn't the worst idea, Alexis." She looked back up. Chazz gazed at her with sharp, but reassuring eyes.

"It really wasn't," Jaden promised. "But figuring that out's gonna be har - whoa!"'

His jalapeno grilled cheese suddenly started sliding away from him, directly towards Chazz. Jaden's arms immediately snapped forward, clamping the sandwich down underneath his palms and he pulled it back towards himself.

"Gee, Chazz," he said. "If you wanted a bite, all you had to do was ask!"

The dark-haired Duelist raised an eyebrow. "I have a lobster roll. Why would I want your dumb grilled cheese?"

"'Cause it's delicious," Jaden quipped. "And a private inve-" The word hadn't even finished forming before it hit him. "Wait...of course, that's it!"

"What is it, Sarge?" Hassleberry asked.

"A totally sweet private investigator bought this for me when I was in line." He displayed his half-eaten lunch proudly. "He saw I was short on change and he jumped in."

There seemed to be a collective eye widening.

"Did you get his name?" Bastion asked.

"It was something really weird," Jaden replied. "Started with a J… Janice? No, that wasn't it."

"What about the name of the agency he works for?" Bastion pressed.

"Nope."

"That would be helpful to know right now, Slacker!" Chazz snapped.

"Chazz, it's not like he was planning an investigation thirty minutes ago," Alexis replied.

"Wait." Jaden pressed his free fingers lightly to his temple as he focused. The name. The _name_. It was _right there_ on the edge of his memory. All he had to do was reach a little further-

" _Jaden. You?"_

" _Just call me-"_

"Janda!" Jaden pointed his finger forward. "His name was Janda."

"Janda?" There was an edge of surprise in Syrus' tone.

Bastion immediately typed the name into his laptop. "Janda...private investigation- Here we go! Carlton Janda, Janda Investigative Services. ...Interesting."

"What?" Jaden asked.

"According to the map I have in front of me, it's based in Cypress Falls Apartments. That's ten minutes from here on foot."

Jaden's mind flashed back again. " _Man's gotta eat. My office isn't far from here."_

"He said his office wasn't far from here," Jaden explained. "Maybe we can get him to help us!"

"Jaden, are you sure?" Syrus asked. "Bunch of teenagers go into his office, 'hey, we think my brother's involved in all these recent comas because of Duel Monsters, help us out here!'."

"It's not like he's a paranormal investigator anyways," Chazz replied. "Besides, how are you going to pay him?"

"Don't you have money coming out of your ears?" Jaden asked innocently.

It was a very good thing that Chazz had not bitten any more into his lobster roll, or else he might have choked at Jaden's comment. "Do I look like an ATM!?"

"Look, it probably can't hurt to check him out," Alexis said. "Who knows? Maybe he can help us _somehow._ "

"Private Rhodes is right," Hassleberry replied. "Worst that could happen is he could give us a negative."

"I hope he doesn't," Bastion remarked. "Because he would know more how to approach an investigation like this better than the six of us combined." He closed his laptop.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Jaden asked. "Let's go check out this Janda guy and see if he's cooler than just buying a guy a grilled cheese!"

There was a chorus of affirmatives as the teens stood up, throwing away empty containers and portions that couldn't be eaten. Jaden led the charge, with Syrus beside him and everyone else following. As they walked, Jaden pulled out his phone.

 _Hey Dad,_ he texted. _Syrus and I ran into some buddies from the Academy. We're gonna chill for a while. I'll let you know when we're on our way back._ Jaden slid his phone back into his pocket. "Hey, Sy."

"Huh?" Syrus asked.

"When I remembered his name, you sounded shocked. Do you know him?"

Syrus' brow furrowed, concentrating hard as he searched the corners of his brain. "No. At least, I don't think so…"

"What do you mean?"

"Janda...I know that name somewhere."

"Jeez," Chazz muttered as he looked around the main hall. "He runs a private investigation agency out of this dump?"

"It's not your penthouse, but it's far from a dump," Alexis gently chided as she stepped inside.

"Well, I don't think the peeling paint on the walls helps at all," Bastion pointed out.

Jaden looked around. Cypress Falls had been housing tenants since 1981, and it was obvious it had seen thirty-seven years drift by. Just as Bastion had pointed out, the dark brown paint had started to chip away, the flakes resting against the baseboards. Though the floorboards looked like they were regularly cleaned, Jaden could hear a slight creaking noise every time someone adjusted their feet.

"Where's the commander again?" Hassleberry asked.

Bastion checked his phone. "Room 309. Should be an elevator around here."

They found it tucked into the back corner of the main hall, the doors a sickly yellow color. They opened immediately when the elevator was called. The teens all filed inside, only to quickly to discover an uncomfortable truth.

"...This wasn't exactly built for six people, was it?" Chazz rasped, crushed against a wall.

"Is this thing even gonna carry us all?" Syrus wondered aloud, straining his neck so his face wasn't pressed against Chazz's back. "More importantly, am I gonna die in here!?"

"The weight capacity for this elevator is…" Bastion's eyes darted around for a minute, his body squirming for a sweet spot. "Twenty-five hundred pounds. Now, an elevator can not exceed twenty-five percent -"

"Can't... _breathe!_ " Jaden's hand shot skyward, a drowning man searching for a branch, and his knuckles hit the wall behind him to rest. "You okay, Lex?"

"It's tight, but I can breathe," Alexis managed. "Who thought this was a good idea?"

"At ease, soldiers!" Hassleberry exclaimed. "Let me just - ack - find the - got it!" The 3 button lit as the doors closed, and the elevator jolted just slightly before dragging itself upward. Two floors later, it rumbled to a groaning stop.

" _Oof_." Alexis shuddered, trembling against Jaden's sleeve.

"You okay, Alexis?" Jaden asked.

She smiled slightly. "Yeah. Just remind me to take the stairs if I ever end up living here."

The door painstakingly pulled itself open, and the teens burst through like water going through a broken dam. "More like we're taking the stairs every time we come here," Syrus replied.

They took a right and walked down the hall, which looked just as derelict and antiquated as the foyer below. Except for the occasional faded still life of fruit, the walls were bare, still, brown and peeling.

"Okay, 309," Bastion muttered.

It didn't take long to find it all, despite looking like just another door in the hall.

"Do we really wanna do this?" Syrus asked. "What if -"

Jaden stepped forward and rapped the door, his wrist a hummingbird's wing.

"Jaden!" Syrus exclaimed.

"We're here now; we may as well," he replied.

The wait felt like ten eons dragging themselves through sludge. Just as Jaden was about to try knocking again, there was a click, and the door swung open.

"What -" Janda cut himself off and blinked. "Jaden. Didn't think I'd see you again so soon."

"Neither did I," Jaden replied with a smile.

"You brought company, too." Janda's eyes scanned the remaining teens.

"Yep. The thing is, we could really use your help."

"Is that so?" Janda glanced back at Jaden for a moment, then into the apartment, and then back to Jaden. He then pulled the door further back and stepped aside. "Come on in."

The teens milled into the apartment. As he walked in, Jaden took a quick look around. Smack in the middle of the light wooden floor was simple, ecru coffee table, flanked by a dark grey couch on the right, and a matching chair on the left. Two glass doors stood erect just a few feet away, divided by a section of wall with a sixty-inch TV stationed into it. In the top right corner of the room, he could see a row of stools in front of a bar - no doubt there was a kitchen over there. On the other side, close to the covered window, was a really nice, high tech looking computer on a glass desk. A picture in a black 8x10 frame stood by the monitor, but Jaden couldn't see the subject clearly. A tall, black filing cabinet stood by it. The last thing he noticed was a black bookshelf on the left wall, several yards from the computer.

Despite the cozy lighting, this definitely didn't feel like a _home._

"You kids want something to drink?" Janda asked.

"I think we're good," Jaden said. "We all were just at the food trucks."

"Got it," Janda said. "Have a seat on the couch -" he pointed to it. "-if there isn't enough room for all of you, just grab the stools over by the kitchen."

The teens found out that the couch could seat three of them, so Bastion and Chazz grabbed two stools, setting them on either side of the couch. Hassleberry simply perched his arms on the back of the couch behind Jaden. Janda took his seat in the chair across the coffee table, crossing his leg.

"So, what brings six high schoolers to a private investigation agency?" he asked.

"Uh, well…" Alexis' eyes darted to the ceiling as if there was a list of possibilities written up there. "It's gonna sound a little silly, but a friend of ours may be in trouble."

"Trouble's never a silly thing." Janda leaned forward. "And I'm assuming this isn't a typical shady activity."

"Whoa! How'd you know?" Jaden asked.

"Because if it were, you wouldn't be in this office." The older man quirked a smile. "If you were being responsible, you'd have gone to the police. If not, you'd have done this yourselves."

"He's not wrong on either account," Bastion said.

"So what's going on?" Janda asked.

"Have you heard about what's going on with these Pro League Duelists?" Jaden asked.

"I've heard two of them were in the hospital, but I don't follow the Dueling world that much."

"Three," Syrus corrected. "Another one was admitted this morning."

"Another one?" Janda raised his eyebrows.

"We saw her this morning," Jaden added. "Bridget Partachiso. Bastion found a connection to them all, and we don't think this is some freaky coincidence."

"They all faced the same opponent before they went comatose," Bastion added. "Zane Truesdale."

Janda's eyes widened. Jaden swore, for a second, he saw something flash in them, but he couldn't tell for sure.

"Zane Truesdale?" he asked.

"He's my brother," Syrus said. "You know him?"

"Yeah," Janda quickly answered. "We have some history."

"How do you know him?" Syrus asked.

"Hold on." Janda held his hand out. "People don't just drop from losing a Duel. Besides him being their last Duel, what makes you think he's somehow involved in this?"

"The guy's psycho," Chazz interjected.

"Chazz!" Alexis scolded.

"You're going to need to clarify that for me," Janda added.

"Well," Syrus started. "He really hasn't been himself lately."

"Go on," he encouraged.

Syrus delivered his clarification, with each of his friends occasionally interjecting their own perspective on Zane's leap off the deep end - from his losing streak to his last Duel before the change, to his gluttony for victory, the sudden change in Deck type, and to the vicious rampage he was leading against any Duelist that dared to challenge him.

"...I see," Janda said as Syrus concluded his explanation.

"We tried to get through to him," Hassleberry added. "Twice. SUSFU."

"Susfu?" Jaden asked.

Hassleberry micro-grimaced. " _Situation Unchanged, Still Fouled Up_."

"So, I don't get it, how does a hologram of a monster knock somebody out?"

"Uh, well…" Jaden thought about the question for a moment. _That's right. Janda would have no way to understand the way Duel Spirits work._

"It's not something that can be easily explained," Alexis jumped in. "It's...you gotta see it to understand."

Janda nodded in affirmation. He then closed his eyes, pondering about everything given to him. Then, he opened them once more, giving each one of the teens a glance.

"All right," he finally said. "I'll help."

"Wait, what!?" Jaden exclaimed, jolting upright.

"Ya serious?" Hassleberry asked.

"If he was capable of causing harm like this before, then it sounds like he's kicking it up a notch," he said. "But it's like you said before." He fixed his eyes on Syrus. "You don't know for sure if Zane himself is causing this."

"Yeah," Syrus nodded.

"In order to figure that out," Janda started. "We need to watch his next Duel."

"We?" Alexis asked.

"It's clear to me you need answers," Janda replied. He turned to Syrus. "Especially you."

Syrus opened his mouth to say something, but no words emerged.

"There's an answer to every question, and there's always a way to get it," Janda said. "I'm going to make sure you get them. This isn't something I typically do with all my clients, but I don't know too much about Dueling." He flashed a confident smile. "Who better to help than students from Duel Academy?"

Jaden beamed. "Sweet! You're even cooler than I already thought you were!"

Janda chuckled. "I just bought you a grilled cheese...what are the flowers for?"

"Huh? These?" Syrus asked. "Jaden and I were gonna make a stop at the cemetery, but we thought we'd come see you first."

"You were smart to do so," Janda replied. "Let's get some groundwork done and I'll make sure you get there."

Syrus' eyes widened. "Oh wow. Um...thanks."

"All right. When is his next Duel?" Janda asked.

"I'll look it up." Syrus pulled out his cell phone and started an Internet search.

"Tell me what you were able to conclude from your findings," Janda said. "This will be much more painless if we're on the same page."

"Well, from what we were able to deduce," Bastion began, "each Duelist was able to make it back to where they lived before they fell into comas. So, unless Zane figured out how to do this with his brain wavelengths - which would be scientifically impossible by medical science, nor would make _any_ logical sen-"

"The _point?_ " Chazz urged.

"There's no obvious way for Zane to do this," Bastion concluded. "At least, not without being present. The victims also had at least a three hour window between losing the Duel and consciousness, going off of Aleph Mativi's case."

"Guys, he's Dueling tonight!" All heads turned to Syrus. "He's Dueling...who is it… Rafé Tablo."

"When and where?" Janda asked.

"Six o'clock, Kaiba Dome."

Janda lifted his left arm and pushed back a russet colored sleeve to reveal a black watch. "It's five to one right now. That'll give us four and a half hours to come up with a plan."

"Didn't ya just throw one out?" Hassleberry asked. "Watch his next Duel?"

"I'm gonna need tickets," Janda replied. "Who wants to go with me?"

"So you're going in person, detective?" Alexis asked.

"Just call me Janda," he said. "Yes. If I can get up close and watch him, I can see if he's doing something to cause this."

"And why do you need one of us?" Syrus asked.

"Because I'm not a Duelist and all six of you are. Might need a hand in understanding even half this stuff."

"So, we may not only get some answers, but we'll be watching a live Pro League Duel? In the flesh!?" Jaden asked.

"Well, the Duel is to _get_ the answers, but yes -"

" _Takemewithyou_!" Jaden's hand shot upward like an air rocket, narrowly missing Hassleberry's chin by an inch. Alexis leaned back slightly, shocked by the sudden gesture.

"You act as if you've never seen a live Duel before," she said.

Jaden lowered his hand. "Not one in the Pro Leagues. Never been."

"Really?" Alexis asked. "Never?"

"Tickets are expensive," Bastion said. "Even the highest seats, furthest away from the action, can run you seventy dollars."

"Slacker, if you go in there, you're gonna get so wrapped up in the excitement that we won't get anything out of this," Chazz said. "This sounds like a job for the Chazz."

"Someone will need to follow Tablo so they can be there to call 911 if or when he drops."

"And what about my brother?" Syrus asked.

"If these Duelists are getting into this state because of something he's doing after the Duel, we'll need to confirm that as well. Someone should follow him, see where he goes and what he does after a Duel."

"It's a solid plan," Bastion said. "But the only problem I see is that, this may be Domino, but it is still New York. Taxi is very much a preferred method of transportation. If one of them gets into a vehicle, how do you suggest we follow them?"

"Any of you kids drive?"

The teens all glanced at each other. Five seconds later, there was a resounding _no_ , only spoken in shaking heads and negations.

"This is a problem, then," Janda said.

"Screw it. Slacker, go with him. I can call someone," Chazz said.

"What, are you going to bribe a cab driver?" Janda asked.

Chazz smirked. "Maybe I will."

Janda scrunched his brow, but understood once Syrus, Alexis, and Bastion all mouthed _rich_ at him.

"All right then." Janda stood up. "Let's take a break. It's been a lot for you kids. Why don't we meet back here in an hour and assign tasks? Besides, someone's still waiting for you." He looked over at Syrus.

"Oh, yeah." Syrus cradled the flowers as he stood up.

"Before y'all head out," Hassleberry interjected. "What's your rate?"

"None," Janda replied.

"Huh!?" the teens all gasped.

"Someone I know is in trouble," Janda explained. "This case will be free of charge."

"...You really are cool!" Jaden exclaimed.

"I'll drive." Janda reached into his pocket and threw up a small set of keys, catching them in his palm.

"Janda?" Syrus asked.

"Hmm?"

"...Thank you. You're already doing so much, and now-"

Janda just smiled. "Don't worry about it, Syrus."

Jaden and Syrus sat next to each other in the back of Janda's 1994 black Cadillac Fleetwood. It sleekly cruised through Domino's streets, the speedometer warning Janda that he was going at a rate five miles higher than the signs mandated. Fortunately, Domino City Cemetery was a five minute drive from Cypress Falls, so he didn't have to worry too much.

He pulled up to a large set of looming antique, French door style, wrought iron gates. Syrus slid out first. As Jaden climbed out of the car, Janda rolled down his window.

"Hey," he said. "I need to run two quick errands for our recon mission tonight. I should be done in twenty minutes, but take all the time you need."

"Okay. Thanks, Janda."

Janda rolled up the window and drove off, leaving the boys on the sidewalk.

"So, any idea where you know him?" Jaden asked.

"No," Syrus said. "It's driving me crazy! I can't place him at all!"

"Well, he did say he and Zane knew each other. Did Zane mention him to you?"

"Maybe? I really don't know. That's gonna bother me for a while."

"Well, we did just meet him for the first time," Jaden reminded. "Maybe once we do a little more digging around with him, you'll remember something."

"Yeah," Syrus conceded.

"...Should we have brought up the shock collars?" Jaden asked. "We know he only used them on you, but-"

"I want to save my brother, not put him in prison." There was a slight sharpness in Syrus' words that struck Jaden.

 _Prison?_ he thought. _...There could be footage of that Duel somewhere at the school._

Just as quickly as the thought came did the idea of Zane caged in a dark cell somewhere become vomit on his tongue. On top of that, what would it do to Syrus? To Emma?

"Uh, anyways," Syrus said. "Dad's this way. Just follow me."

Jaden shooed the thought away and followed his friend through the gates.

He knew what graveyards were. He had passed them many a time in car rides and had seen them on TV. There was even one in Duel Monsters - his pride and joy and reason in life. But all he truly knew was that they were where the dead slept. When he followed Syrus onto the path, however, ice shot through his veins. He shuddered, wrapping his arms around himself. He looked back towards the gates. This definitely wasn't the graveyard he knew.

This field of the dead was vast - a green amalgam of obsolete slabs with names of the past carved into them and smooth monuments with crisply engraved names of the present. Angel statues gazed down fondly at some, others carved with flowers and open books and other symbols. And then, there was the occasional headstone he would catch in the corner of his eye - that of a child or a teenager with a Duel Disk or a hand of Duel Monsters cards etched into the corner.

All marks of lives that once walked this earth. Rich, poor, Duelist, non-Duelist, man, woman, or child...their fates were all the same. Some monsters went to a graveyard by rule of the game, but they could easily be pulled out by the right card. He always knew it wasn't the case in reality. But that truth kicked him in the ribs once he crossed over, the ache emanating as he walked with his best friend.

Jaden followed Syrus through the grounds until they came to the very back row, where Syrus led him to an upright marker carved in granite. A tree was etched into the very center; Jaden recognized it as a tree of life. Its branches spread across the top, coming down to frame two names. Another name was blocked out at the top, an epitaph beneath the names.

 **TRUESDALE**

 **James Michael Emma Eabha (Fallon)**

 **June 18th, 1975 - March 21st, 1974 -**

 **March 8th, 2008**

" _ **All life lives on if we've ever loved it."**_

Syrus knelt down and lay the chrysanthemums against the grave while Jaden peered at the back.

 **The Pulse of Our Hearts:**

 **Zane Lorcan - October 28th, 2000**

 **Syrus James - February 19th, 2002**

"Hey Dad," Syrus greeted. "Sorry I didn't make it here sooner."

Jaden opened his mouth to tell him James really didn't blame him, but Winged Kuriboh chirped, interrupting him as if to say _no._ So Jaden just stayed quiet, giving his friend a moment alone with the memory of his father. He had known about this since the first year they knew each other. But being in front of the grave now gave the knowledge another dimension of realism.

It only then hit Jaden just how narrow Syrus' options for someone to lean on were. Not just in the present moment, but in all sixteen years of his short life. He glanced down at his friend. Syrus was introducing the grave to Jaden, but the Slifer barely registered the exchange.

 _James..._ _For yours, Emma's, and Sy's sakes, I really hope Zane's not doing this, at least on purpose,_ he thought.

"Dad."

Jaden came back to Earth at the sound of the title. Still kneeling at the grave, Syrus bowed his head.

"I-I don't know if you can hear me," Syrus said. "But my friends and I...something's wrong with Zane. I don't know what, but...we're going after him. We're gonna find out what happened. We're gonna save him."

With every passing word, Syrus' voice became firmer, stronger, as if the debris of a house built on sand was being rebuilt on rock. He lifted his head, and for the first time in a while, Jaden saw a fire in his eyes. The kind that had burned recently in his Duels. Syrus clenched his fists, bunching together the fabric on his black shorts.

"We're gonna save him, Dad." Though his voice quavered now, it would have been deadly to mistake it for faltering resolve. "We'll save him. I _promise._ "

The words tumbled in Jaden's soul. No games, no bull, no dancing around the edge, no standing by. Syrus meant every single word. They would pull Zane Truesdale out of this murky labyrinth his soul was trapped in, one way or another.

Losing wasn't an option this time.

 _I'll get him back, James,_ Jaden silently vowed as Syrus continued to kneel over the grave. _If it's the last thing I do._

* * *

 **Okay! And that takes care of Chapter 5, and since I had this (once) single chapter divided, you can just head on over to Chapter 6! I hope you guys are having as much fun with this as I am.**

 **Once again, I extend my thanks to my small army of betas: Kristine Angela Booth, Arwen, and The Father of Armed Dragons. Without these three lovelies, this would be beyond a hot mess...it'd be an infernal mess :)**

 **Thank you for following _Hand of Sorrow!_ I'll see you in Chapter 6, _Shadowed Surveillance!_**


	6. Shadowed Surveillance

**Hello again! Welcome to the outcome of the division of a chapter that got a little too long. Yep. I definitely need to go to Vocabulary Rehab. XD I can't tell a short story, and I have to make everything more complicated for myself.**

 **Anyhoo, let's get on with Phase 1 of Operation: Figure Out What The Heck Is Going On With Zane Truesdale (not sure why the anime didn't dive into this part of its story any further...but that's for another day)**

* * *

 **Chapter VI**

 **Shadowed Surveillance**

Waiting was never easy. With the plan solidified, all that could really happen was wait until twilight. Every single possibility that was on the table tugged at every teen like a tightrope being pulled rigid, some harder than others. The sun couldn't set fast enough. But begin its descent into the horizon, it eventually did.

At 5:25 pm, Janda and Jaden were standing in an extensive will-call line that stretched down the very beginning of the stairs. Fortunately, they were on the closer half of the line since exactly five fifteen.

"Is it normal for these things to feel like you've got a rock going into your ear canal?" Jaden asked, futzing with the flesh-colored piece of hard plastic he had inserted into his ear before they got in line.

"Well, you can hear me loud and clear, right?" Alexis asked. Jaden scrambled in place.

"This is gonna take some getting used to," he replied.

"Let's review the plan," Janda said into his own earpiece. "Jaden and I are watching the Duel. We've got Chazz on mobile surveillance, Bastion and Hassleberry on Zane, and Syrus and Alexis on Tablo if he loses. Bastion, Hassleberry, do _not_ engage Zane if he catches you following him. If he's as dangerous as you're making me believe, you have my permission to get out."

"Hey, here's my question," Jaden said. "Are you sure we can't go by cool code names? Like, I can be Fried Shrimp, Alexis can be Chicken Taco-"

"Don't fix what's not broken," Janda replied. "Remember, Jaden, we're on a mission here. I'm not well versed in Dueling, so I'm gonna need you to walk me through some of this stuff."

"Can do. Everyone in position?"

"Alexis and I have the east back entrance," Syrus confirmed. "It's a good thing you two are watching the Duel. Not sure we could gauge when to follow Rafé."

"Hassleberry? Bastion?" Janda asked.

"Reportin' for duty, Commander," Hassleberry replied.

"You really don't need to call me that, Hassleberry," the investigator sighed.

"Just roll with it," Jaden said. "It's his thing."

"Doesn't make it any less weird," Chazz chimed.

"Chazz, you in position?" Janda asked.

"The yellow cab across the street from you and the slacker? I'm in the back."

"Do I want to know much you bribed the driver?"

"Enough to make him happy for two weeks straight...are the doors open yet?"

When Jaden and Janda glanced over, the line began to shift and file forward.

"Speak of the devil," Janda said.

"They better make this Duel quick," Chazz pressed. "It smells like someone puked in here." He whispered the last statement.

"We still got a half hour before the Duel even starts, Chazz. Hang tight. Keep us posted on anything weird. Same goes for the rest of you. We're going in." Janda and Jaden walked in line towards the will call window. Once their tickets were claimed, the two of them went into the Kaiba Dome.

Jaden looked around the hallway, the bright lights on the ceiling mirroring his anticipation. "I can't believe I'm actually in here."

Janda chuckled. "Bummer that your first live professional Duel had to be with a geezer like me."

"Well, hey, my friends are here too. Just outside."

"Yeah, we can't exactly see the action," Alexis chimed. "But that's fine."

"How old are you, anyway, Janda?" Bastion asked.

"Old enough to be your dad," Janda replied, still looking ahead.

Jaden scrunched his brow. "My dad's in his forties. I hardly consider that a geezer."

"Trust me, Jaden, once you've seen everything in life, you start thinking of yourself as one."

Jaden's eyes widened as they kept walking. _What does that mean?_

The two of them walked into the arena, an orbicular room without a bad seat in the house. Still, Jaden couldn't hide his excitement when he realized where they were sitting.

"Whoa! You got us in the front row!"

"A helpful vantage point if you're watching for anything suspicious," Janda said. "Besides, if they're focused enough, they shouldn't notice us watching."

"This is so _sweet_!" Jaden plopped down into a seat close to the arena's right-hand side.

"Jaden, if you miss something in there because you can't pull yourself together, we're not gonna get anywhere with this," Chazz warned.

"Dueling's pretty exciting for you, huh?" Janda asked, sitting next to him.

"Ah man, it's too bad you don't play!" Jaden replied. "The action, the trash-talking - it's all great!"

"I'm more a solitaire and blackjack guy."

"Haven't played those."

"Don't think you'd have as much fun."

" _Anyway_ ," Alexis pressed. "What are you looking for? We're gonna want to know this stuff too."

"We're watching to see if Zane does anything to trigger what happened to his previous opponents," Janda clarified. "Would there be any appropriate time for the Duelists to get really close to each other?"

"There are a few instances," Bastion answered. "There are cards that, when activated, force you to switch cards in your hand with your opponent."

"Anything beyond that?" Janda asked.

As the Duelists thought this over, more people began to fill into the arena.

"No," was the consensus.

"I don't even think Zane has ever used a card that would do that," Syrus added.

"You know, Janda," Jaden said. "You never spilled. How do you know Zane?"

The question seemed to catch Janda off guard, if only slightly. He glanced at Jaden and opened his mouth to speak, but whatever words he was about to speak were preemptively cut off by the drowning roar of the crowd from all corners of the arena.

"Duel's starting," Janda said into his earpiece. "Keep your ears peeled."

"Sam Hill, it's a miracle I even heard you at all through all that shoutin', Commander," Hassleberry said.

"Another day, another Duel!" an announcer cried out. "But when it comes to Duels like these, it's never just another day!"

"That's right, Jean!" his companion said. "It's been a few weeks since his last Duel, but if history is prone to repeating itself, our champion's skill hasn't dulled!"

"But both of our contenders have a reputation for shining superiority down on their opponents," Jean replied. "All it will come down to is who's gonna outshine the other tonight! Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for our resident champion, Zane Truesdale!"

The voices of the crowd roared together in a chorus of cheer and anticipation. Janda and Jaden leaned forward, peering at that side of the arena. The stage lights blasted on at full force, causing Jaden to throw his arm up to shield his eyes. But once the initial burn passed, Jaden lowered it and peeked back out to see that side of the arena enshrouded in light...but nothing more.

 _Huh?_ Wasn't this the part where he stalked into the arena like the _rotten_ _creature he had devolved_ -

"What's this!?" Jean shouted. "Either my glasses are foggy, or Zane Truesdale is nowhere to be found on this arena!"

"Is he throwing in the towel after such a blazing winning streak!?" the other announcer asked.

The crowd broke out into a frantic whisper that simmered across the room. Janda and Jaden looked at each other, both of them just as curious.

"I take it this isn't typical?" Janda asked.

"Nope," Jaden replied.

"What's not typical?" Syrus asked.

"Zane's late," Jaden replied. "They announced him, but he's not-"

"Jaden, wait." Janda nudged the boy slightly and pointed outward. A shadow stretched across the illuminated floor, a grim streak of black paint in the shape of a human. When Jaden's eyes followed the shadow to its origin, Zane trudged into position, a great white scanning for blood in the water.

"Scratch that," Jaden said amidst the cheering. "He's here."

Syrus sighed with relief. Jaden narrowed his eyes and craned his head forward to get another look at his once friend. "Hey Chazz, his hand looks better." He wasn't wrong. The bruises that blemished his knuckles had faded into an unseemly blotch of yellow and brown.

"I had been wondering about those," Alexis remarked. "Did we ever figure out what caused them?"

"Nope," Jaden said.

"Facing this gladiator in black is a Duelist just as fierce!" the other announcer called. "Also having clawed his way back into the throng of the greats here in the Pro Leagues, give it up for Rafé Tablo!"

A dark-skinned man with raven micro braids

that hung to his waist stepped out among a refrain of cheers, dressed in a long-sleeved, black shirt, pants, and shoes, a white trench coat draped over his shoulders. His cold, dark eyes stared intently toward his opponent.

"So, I meet the Pro Leagues' Crowned Prince of Hell at least." Rafé's sneer was colored with some kind of accent Jaden couldn't recognize.

"Hmph. Is that what they're calling me these days?" Zane deadpanned.

"Among others. Figured you would have noticed, with your popularity tanking. If you don't like it, you shouldn't blast your opponents into submission," Rafé retorted, crossing his arms. "Or put them in comas."

Jaden's shocked gasp was buried by another frantic whispering that swept over the crowd.

"He put those three Duelists in the hospital!?"

"I knew he was vicious in Dueling, but Aleph Mativi and Simon Fiarao still haven't come out of it…"

"What's _wrong_ with this kid?"

"Did the rest of you catch that?" Janda asked.

"Sounds like somebody said _something_ , that's for sure," Chazz chimed.

"Bastion, did your source say anything about _where_ the Duels took place?" Janda asked.

"No," the genius replied.

"You brought your laptop?"

"Yes, why?"

"Zane's opponent might know something about his last two Duels!" Jaden interjected.

"Get online and see if there's something that says Fiarao and Partachiso Dueled Zane here," Janda ordered.

"On it," Bastion said.

Back in the arena, Zane activated his Duel Disk. "Are you done running your trap?" he spat.

"Far from it," Rafé replied. "Because it's time to Duel!" (Zane: 4000 / Rafé: 4000)

"Looks like I have another buzzing gnat to swat," Zane said coolly, drawing his opening hand. "I'll start." He glanced at the cards quickly. "I summon Twin-Headed Behemoth in Attack position!" A dragonic creature with a spike where its head would be and two necks and heads for arms rose, both growling at his opponent. (ATK: 1500) "I set one card face down and end my turn."

"And here I thought you'd blast me out of my skin your first turn," Rafé quipped, drawing. "First, I play Graceful Charity! This will let me draw three cards so long as I discard two." He drew the cards. Jaden leaned forward, squinting at Rafé as he put two cards in the Graveyard.

"Dang," Jaden said. "I can't see what cards he discarded."

"Jaden, focus," Janda gently reminded. "We need to watch Zane."

"Right, sorry." The boy promptly sat back down.

"Next, I summon the Herald of Creation in Attack position!" A blonde woman with a helmet, a white veil over her face and a white dress plated with silver armor rose, a golden scepter in her hand. (ATK: 1800)

"Now, Herald of Creation! Attack his Twin-Headed Behemoth!"

Herald of Creation stepped forward, extending her scepter towards Twin-Headed Behemoth. A ball of light glowed to life in the space of the ring that headed her weapon, and shot itself outward. The ball hit Twin-Headed Behemoth in the stomach, causing it to curl forward before exploding into pieces. (Zane: 3700) Rafé narrowed his eyes as Zane stood there as if he had only witnessed paint dry.

"Hm. Just as cool-headed as they all say," he deadpanned. "I set two cards face down and end my turn."

"Janda? Jaden?"

"Bastion?" Jaden asked.

"We're here," Janda assured. "What'd you find?"

"I hacked into the Pro Leagues' archives," Bastion started.

"Hacked?" Janda raised an eyebrow. "If they caught you-"

"At ease, General," Hassleberry reassured. "Private Misawa's an expert on cyber guerilla warfare."

"What'd you find?" Janda pressed.

"I cross-examined Zane's Duels," Bastion continued. "There is absolutely no record of Zane Dueling Simon or Bridget in the Pro Leagues. He must have Dueled them outside the arena."

Jaden looked back at the Duelist in black. _So, where were you guys?_

"Syrus, Alexis, change of plans," Janda said. "If this guy loses, do _not_ let him leave the arena."

"What are you going to do?" Alexis asked.

"Rafé and I need to chat. And I'll only have so much time."

 _That tone sounds like it'll be more than a chat,_ Jaden mused.

Zane drew. "Don't get too cocky just because you destroyed my Behemoth. I summon Cyberdark Edge in Attack mode!" A mechanic creature resembling green dragon wings ascended to the field. (ATK: 800) "Considering all you've heard, I don't need to tell you its effect."

Twin-Headed Behemoth reappeared, but this time, right below Cyberdark Edge. The suction tubes gripped it by its two necks, the heads hissing as it absorbed its power. (Cyberdark Edge ATK: 2300)

"Hrgh!" Jaden jumped into a fetal position, inching away from the divider between him in the stage.

"Agh!"

"Ngh!"

Jaden could hear the groans of his friends over the earpieces. They felt it too. The icy centipede from the last Duel had thawed and died in the process, now replaced by a snake that spiraled through the rib cage, its forked tongue caressing the bones above as well. Jaden trembled under the sensation's slithering thumb.

"Jaden!?" Janda asked, readying himself to grab him and run.

Jaden forced a breath. "I'm fine," he promised. "It's _that_ thing _._ "

Janda looked back into the arena as Zane pointed at Rafé. "Cyberdark Edge, attack this gnat directly!"

"Wait, he has a monster though," Janda said to himself.

"That's its effect," Jaden managed, uncurling slightly. "By halving its attack points, it can go past the monster." (Cyberdark Edge ATK: 1150)

Cyberdark Edge's wings folded downward, projecting a cyclone of air that blasted towards Rafé. However…

"I reveal my Trap, Dust Tornado!" Rafé declared. "And since your Behemoth is treated like an Equip Spell, I can destroy it and weaken your monster!"

Twin-Headed Behemoth seemed to cry out as it disintegrated from the tubes it was trapped in.

"You're far from out of the woods," Zane said. "You'll still take 400 damage." (Rafé: 3600) "I end my turn."

"Jaden, are you okay?" Alexis asked.

"I'm all right, Lex," he replied.

"I'm coming in there."

"No, no, stay where you are."

"Jaden-"

"I'm okay, Alexis. The worst of it's over." Well, that was mostly because her voice was a muscle relaxant, coaxing Jaden out of the position he curled into until he found himself sitting normally again. He took a breath, letting it all come out slowly and settling down.

"Sure you're okay?" Janda asked skeptically.

"Yep." Jaden cracked a smile, the pep in his tone restored.

"You still have a few Life Points to go through," Rafé said bluntly, drawing. "I activate the Spell card, Photon Lead! This card will allow me to Special Summon a Level 4 LIGHT monster from my hand. Now, come, Dunames Dark Witch!" The Fairy-type emerged, spreading her white wings. (ATK: 1800)

"Next, I sacrifice both Dunames Dark Witch and Herald of Creation, so I can summon this! Rise, Felgrand Dragon!"

Dunames Dark Witch and Herald of Creation faded into white light and shot into the air. The two lights collided, causing even more radiance to erupt across the room. Once more, Janda and Jaden raised their eyes to protect their vision, and a guttural roar grazed Jaden's eardrums. The light eventually faded, and when Jaden lowered his arm, a towering dragon that looked like it had been forged from pure gold had risen, casting its gaze down to Cyberdark Edge. (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2800)

"Now, Felgrand Dragon! Attack his Cyberdark Edge!" A shining fireball charged between the dragon's teeth. Once it filled the whole mouth, Felgrand Dragon swung its head forward, the fireball tearing across the field.

"I'm cutting you off!" Zane announced, thrusting his arm out. "I activate my trap, Power Wall!"

"Again!?" Jaden cried, leaning back out to watch the action.

"Huh?" Janda asked.

As Zane explained the effect to Rafé, Jaden knew what was coming. It was just as raw and lacerating as the first time he saw this in person. The way he just discarded them like they were just pieces of scrap metal.

 _I couldn't do that,_ Jaden thought. _I could never just throw them away like they were nothing!_

He cast a glare at Zane. _His Cyber Dragons and even these cards must have pulled him out of so many jams...and_ this _is the thanks they get!?_

Cards rained down around Zane as the Felgrand Dragon's fireball struck the Cyberdark Edge. It promptly exploded. (Zane: 3700)

"Tch. You just threw away three-quarters of your deck," Rafé observed mockingly. "How do you expect to win with that?"

"How I do things is none of your business," Zane retorted. "If you're done, then be done already."

"Fine, I end my turn."

"He's got Zane on the ropes," Janda said. "He might actually lose tonight."

"Don't jump to conclusions yet," Jaden countered. "A Duel isn't over till the last card is played."

"What more can he do?" Janda asked. "Tablo's got a monster with 2800 attack points and Zane has squa-"

"Here's Exploder Dragon!"

"That," Chazz said. A blue dragon holding a spiked, black and orange ball in its claws rose to the field. (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 0) Janda only eyed Exploder Dragon skeptically.

"His lack of cards has gone to his head," Janda said. "How does he expect to take _that_ down with 1000 attack points?"

"Next, I activate the Spell card, Quick Summon, allowing me to summon another monster to the field," Zane added. "Now come, Cyberdark Horn!" (ATK: 800) "And I'll re-equip Twin-Headed Behemoth to it!" (ATK: 2300)

"Ah!" Jaden put a fist to his chest, trembling as the snake in his rib cage started to slither again.

"He just summoned another Cyberdark monster, didn't he?" Chazz asked.

"Yep," Jaden replied. "The ugly one."

"They kinda all are, Sarge," Hassleberry said. "You're gonna need to narrow that down."

"Uh...the head."

"And now, I activate my Spell card, Limiter Removal!" Zane continued. "Now, for this turn, I can double Dark Horn's attack points." (ATK: 4600) "Of course, the only problem is, Dark Horn will be destroyed at the end of this turn."

And then he smirked. "Not that you will see the end of this turn. Exploder Dragon! Attack his Felgrand Dragon!"

Exploder Dragon soared into the air, flying several feet above Felgrand Dragon's head before releasing the bomb and dropping it onto the golden dragon. An explosion rattled the arena, Felgrand Dragon disappearing behind an obelisk of ashen smoke. Just a second later, a fireball shot upward, colliding with Exploder Dragon and blowing it up as well. When the smoke cleared, Rafé's side of the field was empty.

"No! My dragon!" His eyes were wide with panic.

"Cyberdark Horn, attack! Dark Spear!"

Cyberdark Horn fired a stream of black and purple energy at his opponent, who could only watch as the coup de gráce came coming and coming until it finally blasted him head-on. Rafé's scream bounced off of every wall and clawed at every ear, his micro braids flying every which way. Janda silently gasped, eyes widening. (Rafé: 0)

"Unbelievable!" Jean yelled. "Once again, Zane Truesdale keeps his ground as resident champion with...what's this!? It appears Zane Truesdale has left the arena already!"

"Huh?" Jaden turned back to look at Zane's side of the field, and his eyes widened. Sure enough, there was no dark shape occupying that end.

"What the-"

"What is it, Sarge?" Hassleberry asked.

"Zane's on the move!"

"Roger that."

"We're on it," Bastion affirmed.

Janda shot up as the smoke cleared. "Alexis, Syrus, Tablo's still here." The Duelist was on his back and propped up by shaking hands, his eyes as wide as plates and his jaw suspended in shock. "Looks like that last attack shook him. Standby. Did you start the stopwatch?"

"Yep," Alexis assured.

"I'm going down." Janda leapt over the divider between the stage and the seats and ran towards the fallen Duelist.

 _Jeez,_ Jaden thought as he neared Rafé. _This guy must run a lot of marathons!_

Janda slowed to a stop in front of him and extended his hand, likely offering Rafé help up. Jaden wasn't sure what to expect, but he could never have anticipated what happened next. The Duelist's eyes widened further, and he scrambled backward like a panicked spider.

"Stay back!" he yelled, swatting his hand at Janda.

 _Huh?_ Jaden stood up and perched his hands on the divider.

"Rafé, please, let me help you," Janda coaxed.

" _Get away from me!_ " Rafé shuffled to his feet and darted away from the private investigator, rushing into the doorway he entered from.

"Wh- Hey! Rafé!" Janda took off after him, and at that point, Jaden knew he couldn't just stand by. Leaping over the railing, the boy raced across the arena, following Janda from several feet behind into that hallway.

"Alexis, Syrus, he's heading your way," Janda informed. "Guy's running like a cornered rabbit."

"Okay," Syrus acknowledged. "Do we just tackle him or what?"

"Doesn't matter. Do _not_ let him get away."

"All right, Syrus?" Alexis said. "Let's - WHOA!"

Jaden heard a loud thumping and heavy, rasped breathing through his earpiece.

"Take this." Rafé?

"Hey! What are you doing?" Alexis demanded. A shuffling.

"Take this, guard it with your life. If anyone asks, it is lost. He cannot get his hands on this."

"Wait, who's 'he'? Rafé, there's someone who can help you, he's on his wa- No, come back!"

"Hey, wait a second!" Syrus shouted. The sound of jagged breathing, and crunching of gravel...he must have been running after him. "Rafé!"

Janda kicked a door open wide enough for Jaden to follow him out into an alley before it could close. When Jaden burst through, Alexis stood by two large cardboard boxes stacked on top of each other. Her flustered face glowed under the industrial light above her, staring at something in her hands. As Janda took off after Syrus, Jaden brushed Rafé out of his mind and ran to his sole female friend.

"Lex?" he asked. "You okay?"

Alexis blinked, as if his question brought her back her back to the present, and a calm glossed over her eyes.

"I'm fine," she promised. "He shoved this into my hands and told me to protect it." She extended a hand out to Jaden. His brown eyes widened.

"His Deck?"

"He said that if anyone asked, I didn't know where it was," Alexis replied.

"What's with this guy?" Jaden asked.

"He jumped into a cab!" Syrus cried over the earpiece.

"Bastion, Hassleberry, what's your status with Zane?" Janda asked.

"We're tailin' 'im like a T-Rex tailin' a triceratops," Hassleberry replied. "You got a man down yet?"

"We lost him on foot," Janda said. Jaden heard the panting again, but it was accompanied by Syrus'. They had to be running back together.

"I got a cab number!" Syrus rasped. "G4519!"

"Jaden, are you in the car yet?" Janda asked.

"I'm back here with Alexis," Jaden answered. "Had to make sure she was okay."

"Is she?"

"All good," she assured. Syrus and Janda rejoined the two in the alley not long after that.

"The three of you, in my car. We need to follow him. This way." Janda ran back towards the sidewalk, the three teenagers in tow.

"Blast!" Bastion yelled over the earpiece. "Zane just got into a cab too. Chazz, he's heading in your direction. Follow him."

"Hey, genius, there's a million cabs on this street I'm on right now," Chazz retorted.

"LM516."

"...I see him. Follow that cab! LM516! ...Not _that_ close!"

"Tell us where he goes," Bastion said. "We'll go from there."

Lucky for Janda, he had managed to get into a space where he could easily parallel park and get out. He and the other teens practically flew into the Cadillac, Jaden in the front and Alexis and Syrus in the back, as Janda turned his key, the vehicle awakening with a roar. Jerking it into drive, he zoomed out when there was an opening and sped off to track down the cab Rafé had jumped into. Unfortunately, what had been heard of, but not anticipated, was the post-Duel rush hour. Janda wove between vehicles at a dizzying pace, a black fireball fighting its way through traffic.

"I know we're on a time crunch, but try not to get us killed!" Alexis shouted from the back.

"Trust me, I know how to do a car chase," Janda replied.

 _How is he so calm!?_ Jaden wondered. _He makes Mom look tame!_

The car continued to braid between other vehicles, the sound of horns blaring at it in a chorus of resentment. Janda drove on, however, ignoring them. After catching the sight of a yellow vehicle casually driving with the rest of school of cars, Janda cut off an irate red minivan and situated himself between it and the taxi. The traffic light above them flashed red, all flow crawling to a stop as another swarm of cars flowed out in front of them.

"Is this him?" Jaden asked.

Janda leaned forward, squinting his eyes. "Yes, that's him."

Jaden followed suit. Sure enough, there was a head of micro braids in the backseat. It turned to look over its shoulder, revealing a Rafé whose earlier panic had ebbed off at least somewhat.

"He's still go-ah!" Jaden gasped.

Rafé's eyes widened like he had been impaled with a lance. His whole body stiffened, frozen to the deepest nerve. He stared out the back window and into the stalled traffic for seconds that dragged themselves through sludge. And then, as if the bones in his body had been torn out at once, Rafé fell backward, his head tilting back until his blank stare was fixed on the roof of the cab.

"He's lost consciousness!" Janda announced.

"I gotta let the driver know!" Jaden pushed the eject button on his seatbelt. It flew back over and he pushed his door open.

"What are you - _JADEN_!" Janda yelled.

Jaden brushed off his call, slamming the door behind him and taking off towards the taxi cab. His heart pounded in his ears as his legs rushed him through the street. Oh, this was stupid, this was _so very stupid and Amara was going to kill him_ -

 _Someone's hurt!_ his thoughts yelled sharply. _And you know it's_ _ **his**_ _fault, somehow!_

 _But he didn't do anything that we-_

 _He was fine until he Dueled him._

He got past the passenger's seat when the blacktop flashed green. The cab lurched forward, and Jaden's brain surged with adrenaline.

 _No, NO!_ he screamed in his head. "HEY!"

He felt his legs pushing harder, faster against the blacktop. The adrenaline pumping in his ears deafened him to the wave of horns sounding off in the heart of traffic, but it did not mute the squeal of the cab's tires.

 _He's flooring it_ , Jaden realized. _I gotta stop this cab!_ He looked ahead. _I may have some room...this is gonna be risky, but if I don't do something, Rafé could be stuck in there!_

Winged Kuriboh squeaked so loud, it startled its partner.

"I've gotta do something!" Jaden shouted, quickly recovering.

Winged Kuriboh continued to object as Jaden ran sidelong the cab, the boy catching a look at the unconscious Duelist in the backseat. The next thing he knew, he was standing on the outer edge of the intersection, turning to face down the yellow, two-ton battering ram speeding towards him. He held his hands out, his palms facing the driver as the headlights enveloped his vision and burned his retinas.

"NO!" Janda shouted.

" _JADEN!_ " Alexis and Syrus screamed in unison.

 _ **CRUNCH!**_

* * *

 **...Yeah, I know. I'm a terrible person. And because I'm a terrible person, this will be the last chapter until Chapter 7 is ready to go. Fortunately, Chapter 7 is currently in development. But it will have to get here when it gets here.**

 **I hope you guys liked these two chapters of the story. Say, I wanna know what you guys think. How bad do you think is the carnage? Put your answer in a review, if you feel inclined.**

 **Well, that's all for now, folks! On to be a meaner person than I am already. Special thanks to Kristine Angela Booth, Arwen, and The Father of Armed Dragons for tolerating my meanness.**

 **Thank you for following _Hand of Sorrow!_**


	7. Time and Place

**Hey guys! Welcome back to another chapter of** ** _Hand of Sorrow!_** **I know the last chapter ended on something of a major cliffhanger, and this chapter, we'll see how that turned out! I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty proud of how that ending turned out. But that was that chapter and this is this chapter.**

 **It also occurred to me as I was uploading this chapter that I was forgetting to put in the disclaimers for each chapter! All chapters should have a disclaimer at the beginning now.**

 **At any rate, if you're ready to continue the investigation our favorite group of teenagers have gotten themselves into, buckle up, keep your tray tables up, and your seats in the full upright position, 'cause here goes Chapter 7!**

 **Yu-Gi-Oh! GX is (c) Kazuki Takahashi**

* * *

 **Chapter VII**

 **Time and Place**

A shove.

Darkness.

Metal crunching.

A thud against the ground.

 _Unnngh._ Jaden cracked one eye open, squeezing it shut when a bright light stung it. _Wait. Huh?_

He slowly opened both eyes. Lights of various colors glowed above him, flecking the murky sky. He blinked. Having been one of those rambunctious kids that climbed every tree in the neighborhood before Duel Monsters came around, Jaden was all too familiar with the pain of breaking bones. Hanzo and Amara had always cautioned him not to run out into the street for fear of receiving more, or worse. But no nerve in his body shrieked, except for the aching in his back. When he tilted his head, he realized he had landed flat on the blacktop.

 _Shouldn't I have broken a few bones?_ Jaden wondered. _Actually, shouldn't I be dead!?_... _Wait._ His eyes widened. _The cab!_ He shot straight up so he could assess what was happening now. Once he saw it, he gasped.

The taxi cab he and the others pursued was only ten feet away from him. The hood was mangled, like it had tried to drive through a brick wall. One of the headlights had shattered upon the impact - whatever it might have struck - and a single crack in the windshield arched upward from the windshield wiper to the edge of the car bonnet.

But there was only air between it and Jaden.

"Huh!?" Jaden shot to his feet and ran towards the driver's side of the wrecked car. When he rounded on that side, he looked inside and discovered the driver, a man just below middle aged wearing a black fedora and glasses, lower his hands from his face as he turned to him. The first thing the boy noticed was the driver's mouth and chin were covered in scarlet, only a few cracks of actual skin visible.

 _Uh oh,_ he thought.

"JADEN!" Jaden looked ahead to see Alexis leaping out of the backseat of the Cadillac and raced around the other side to meet him, her face wracked with anxiety.

"Are you hurt?" she asked, skidding to a stop.

"U-uh, no, I'm fine," Jaden replied. "But I think the driver's got a broken nose."

"Janda's calling 911 to get someone over here for Rafé and the accident. I'll let the driver know." She trotted to the driver's side and gently tapped on his window. As it rolled down, Jaden looked back ahead.

"What's going on?" Bastion appealed. "What was that crashing noise?"

"And what was all the screaming for?" Chazz asked.

"I...just about got hit by a car," Jaden mumbled.

"What in tarnation!?" Hassleberry yelped.

Jaden ignored him, instead looking out where he had stood just a second ago.

 _Something pushed me further away from the cab. ...Did you do this, Winged Kuriboh?_

The spirit trilled to the contrary.

The driver had lucked out, if it could be called that. Despite the ruined cab and the pain he was in, he was still able to move it to a space next to a bakery across the intersection, Janda's car tailing closely behind it.

"What on _Earth_ made you think that would be a good idea?" Janda barked.

"Who knows when that guy would have noticed?" Jaden countered defensively.

"Probably when he reached his destination," Janda replied. "Or if he looked in his rear view mirror. This is why we have 911. We could have tailed him until he stopped."

"Well, I'm fine now," Jaden assured. He held up his arms to punctuate the point. "No broken bones. No internal bleeding, no nothin'."

Syrus sharply edged in close to his best friend. "You've had way too many near death experiences for me to be totally relieved right now," he whispered. "Nightshroud? Camula? Anubis or whatever that guy's name was? The Society of Light?"

"Not exactly a near _death_ experience on those last three," Jaden countered softly.

"Do you have _any_ idea what could have happened!?" Syrus hissed.

Jaden opened his mouth to speak.

"Did any one of you get a time?" Janda asked. Jaden promptly cut himself off, remembering there were a number of situations to deal with at the moment.

"Yeah." Alexis pulled out her cell phone. "Thirteen minutes exactly."

Janda was quiet once more, likely pondering that information.

"Does that feel weird to you, or is it just me?" Syrus finally asked.

"No. Something's definitely off about that," Janda replied. "In fact, something feels off about the way all of this is going down."

"What makes you say that?" Jaden asked.

"Do most Pro League duelists know who their opponent is before a match?"

"As far as I know," Alexis started, "a Duelist usually goes over some kind of schedule with a manager as to when they Duel. I don't know if it's the manager or the Pro Leagues themselves, but they will assign Duelists based on skill level. They don't typically know who they're Dueling until the day before. But if you're an independent, like Zane is now, you can choose when you Duel."

"How much do they know about their opponent when they're assigned?" Janda pressed.

"Not much," Alexis continued. "They only know a name and face. If the Duelist is more prominent though, they might hear more just from the Internet or something."

"Hmm." Janda cruised behind the taxi and parked his vehicle. "Some officers will be here soon, they're gonna wanna know what happened. We're effectively witnesses, so stay here until you answer all their questions."

"Is this gonna be like an interrogation?" Jaden asked.

"I think the closest they'll get is, 'what the heck were you thinking when you jumped in front of a moving vehicle?'," Alexis replied.

"They'll just want your side of the story," Syrus answered.

Jaden wasn't sure whether to be excited about this first in his life or not. He still hadn't decided when he heard a chorus of sirens around the corner. Two ambulances and a police car pulled up to the two vehicles. Four EMTs leaped out of their respective ambulances.

"Can anyone talk right now?" Chazz asked over the earpiece.

"What's up?" Alexis asked.

"Zane just went into this apartment complex called Hyacinth Heights. Does he live there, Syrus?"

"Yep," Syrus replied. "Mom and I helped him move in there."

"So right after combat, he goes straight back to his barracks," Hassleberry affirmed.

"Good work, the three of you," Janda praised. "Chazz, stay there and keep your eyes on the apartment for now. You don't need to go in, but let us know if he comes back."

"For how long?" Chazz asked.

"Once we get this mess cleaned up on our end, I'll come meet you there and take over surveillance," Janda said. "Just lay low until I get there."

"Whatever you say."

"So, do we know that Zane's causin' this?" Hassleberry asked.

"Rafé Tablo was fine for thirteen minutes, and then he lost consciousness," Janda said. "It looks like he did this on his own, but considering the pattern you presented to me earlier today, we can't rule Zane's overall involvement out yet."

"Here's what I don't understand," Bastion interjected. "Rafé didn't make it to his destination before he lost consciousness. Aleph, Simon, and Bridget were all able to make it back to their homes before they did so. ...You said that it took thirteen minutes, Alexis?"

"Yeah," she confirmed.

"Were you rounding that, or is it exact?" Bastion pressed.

"Uh, it was exact."

"Interesting. It's too odd for it to be deliberate, but too exact for it to be random."

"What are you thinking?" Janda asked.

"Since Simon and Bridget did not Duel Zane in the arena, I'm down two variables," Bastion replied. "I will cross-reference the paths Rafé and Aleph took to see if I can get further information."

"How are you gonna do that?" Jaden asked.

"Not all articles withhold the home location of Duelists. I'll calculate the distance and work from there. But we need to find out where Zane Dueled Simon and Bridget."

"How?" Syrus asked.

Janda opened his mouth to say something -

" _ **JADEN HANZO YUKI!"**_

Jaden's entire body turned to stone and ice surged in his brain. Even the Shadow Riders and the Light of Destruction would have shrunk in terror at the sound. All of their threats of world domination rang hollow next to the shriek. This was the sound of impending doom. _This_ was the harbinger of Armageddon.

As slow as a rusty clock gear, Jaden inched his head to look through the back window, a wail of terror lodged in his throat. A panicked squeak slipped through his teeth when he realized there was a red Kia Sorento behind them, its driver's side door left open. Through the polluted light, a figure blazed towards the Cadillac, its hair ruffling with every fevered stomp.

"... _Crap_." Jaden's voice creeped up a few octaves.

"Jaden, what's-?" Before Alexis could finish her question, Janda rolled down the window. Once Jaden glanced over, his body shrunk towards his door. Any opportunity to escape had slipped through his hands and into the dark. Direct eye contact was enough to lock him in place.

Amara stood outside Janda's door, her teeth ground into a snarl that would have a bear running for its life. Her eyes locked with Jaden's, but quickly darted away to face the private investigator.

"Who in Slifer's second mouth are you?" she snapped. "And what. Are you doing. With my son?"

"Carlton Janda, private investigator," he calmly introduced. "Jaden is your son?"

"MAR! HEY!" Hasty footsteps approached them, crunching against the gravel.

"Aaaand that's his dad," Syrus said.

 _Oh man,_ Jaden thought. _Mom alone is scary. Both of them at once though!?_ It was rare to see either of them upset. But when both of them had bones to pick, they were as brutal a two headed beast as anyone would find.

Hanzo skidded to a stop behind his wife, staring frantically in the car.

"Jay! Are you hurt!?" he asked.

"Nope!" Jaden promised.

"What in Obelisk's crystal zit were you thinking!?" Amara barked, jabbing an indignant finger at her son. "How many times did we tell you not to run out into the street? And come to think of it, what _were_ you doing in the street? What are you doing in this genius's car!?"

"Amara, he's okay!" Syrus called.

Amara's furious expression faltered significantly, her anger but a small, contained house fire now. "Syrus? You're here, too?"

"And me!" Alexis called. "I'm a friend from the Academy!"

"This guy knows my brother!" Syrus added.

That information slapped the fury out of Amara's face.

"How does he -"

"Ma'am, I need you to step away from the vehicle." Jaden leaned forward and turned his head to see a policewoman approach his parents, her dark hair curled in tight ringlets and tied into a medium ponytail. Her face was serious, emphasizing the gravity of the matter.

Once Hanzo and Amara glanced over at her, they complied and ducked out of her way. The woman stepped next to the driver's seat.

"License and…" Her eyes widened. "Carlton?"

"Cassie?" the private investigator inquired.

The woman now known as Cassie smirked. "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes? What are you doing running around with a suicidal kid?" Janda glanced over at Jaden, who only grinned sheepishly while he scratched his head.

"Not so much suicidal as he is impulsive," Janda replied. "They're helping me with a case."

"They?" Cassie asked.

"Um...hi," Syrus greeted meekly.

Cassie peered through the gap between the car door and Janda's headrest, where she caught the sight of the aqua haired boy and Alexis.

"A bunch of kids? What case have you gotten yourself on now?" Cassie asked.

"You know I can't disclose that," Janda replied.

Cassie shrugged. "You always liked picking and choosing how far to follow the book. I took the driver's statement already, so now it's all your turns. I'm starting with you, Carlton."

"Fire away."

By the time Cassie finished fulfilling protocols and gathered every statement from the Cadillac's passengers, the driver had been taken away in the ambulance and there was someone on the way to collect the ruined cab.

"No one can say what that guy crashed into?" Cassie asked as she finished writing in her notepad.

Jaden shook his head. "I didn't see anything jump in front of me before the crash. But I definitely felt like something pushed me away from the car."

Cassie jabbed her pen at the boy. "Don't you go doing that again, you understand me?"

"Eep! Y-Y-Yes, ma'am!" Jaden had a feeling messing with this woman was a _very_ bad idea.

"Hey, is that guy gonna be okay?" Alexis asked.

Cassie lowered her pen and glanced at the girl. "I've worked cases like this for ten years now. Worse case scenario is that his face is gonna hurt for a while. But nothing beyond that. Okay." She pocketed her notepad. "I'm gonna go file that report now. Hey, Carlton?"

"Yeah?" Janda asked.

"...It was good to see you again."

Janda smiled at her. "It was good to see you too."

"And hey, stop being a stranger. Come visit the department some time." She then turned and started sauntering back to her vehicle. All of the teens' eyes went straight to their driver.

"Visit the department?" Alexis asked. "Were you a cop?"

"A long time ago," Janda answered. "DCPD."

"That makes sense," Syrus replied. Then, he gasped. "Wait. DCPD? My dad was too!"

"Is that so?" Janda asked.

"Yeah. Did you know him? James Truesdale?"

Janda paused before answering. "...Heard his name a few times. But we never actually spoke before he-wait. You went to the cemetery today."

Syrus nodded. Janda's face fell.

"...I'm so sorry," was all the private investigator could say.

 _An ex-cop turned private investigator?_ Jaden thought. _How does Zane know this guy?_

He heard the gravel crunch as Amara returned to the vehicle, arms crossed and face _definitely_ not happy.

"If you're done with whatever shenanigans you're doing, I'm taking my boys home," she bit.

Thought it was as low as a whisper, Syrus gasped at the collective name. Despite the obvious anger in her voice, Janda calmly nodded.

"Of course - excuse me, _boys_?" he asked.

"Syrus is staying with us right now."

Janda swiveled his head back to look at Syrus with an inquisitive stare. Just a moment later, his eyes widened, as if he had found an invisibile, missing puzzle piece.

"Janda?" Syrus pressed.

The investigator shook his head. "It's nothing. Both of you did great today. Go home and get some rest. When do you all want to meet again?"

 _Assuming Mom's gonna let us leave the house!_ Jaden mentally finished for him.

"We're on summer vacation right now," Bastion said. "Unless somebody has a commitment, we all should be open at any time."

"I've got nothing," Chazz replied.

"Negative," Hassleberry added.

"I'm free," Alexis said.

"...Let's get back to you on that," Jaden said nervously.

"All right. Good work everyone," Janda said. "I'll see whoever can make it tomorrow at 10 o'clock. My office."

"Sounds good," Alexis said.

Jaden opened his door and slid out, nervously pacing towards Amara. Oh, this wasn't good. This _definitely_ wasn't good. How the heck was he supposed to explain this? _Oh, hey, my best friend's brother is totally psycho and we're just running around with this PI to see if he's causing all these people to go into comas and we have no way to know for sure if he's doing it yet!_...That was _totally_ going to go well.

Syrus followed Jaden to meet Hanzo and Amara at the Yukimobile, both of them climbing into the back seats. Amara started the engine and pulled out her spot before either boy had buckled in. Once she had navigated them into the flow of traffic, Hanzo turned around to face them.

"So, how did you hook up with this PI?" Hanzo asked.

"Jay met him at the food truck rally we went to today," Syrus said. "He paid for his lunch."

Amara turned her head to side glance him. "...Why?" She sounded less suspicious and more confused.

"I was short a couple cents," Jaden answered.

"Well that's nice!" Both teenagers were taken aback by Amara's cheery tone. "I wish a PI would buy me lunch! But that doesn't explain what you were doing in his car."

"He was helping us," Syrus said. "We, um…"

"Wait, didn't you say that he knows your brother?" Hanzo asked.

"Uh-huh." Syrus nodded.

Hanzo and Amara looked at each other for a second before Amara looked back at the road.

"...You're trying to find out why he changed, aren't you?" Amara deduced.

"How did you know?" Jaden asked.

"We know all." She gave her son a slight devilish smirk.

"Is that how you knew what happened just now?" Syrus asked.

"Okay, that was the seven o'clock news."

It was then Jaden noticed his father, whose face looked much more poignant.

"Jaden?" He darted his dark eyes to Syrus for a second before looking back at him. "Let's talk when we get home."

"Huh?" Jaden raised an eyebrow.

Whenever he had gotten in trouble in the past, there was usually a reprimanding _in_ the car. Of course, there was one other passenger in the Yukimobile. The ride back home was uncharacteristically quiet, and Jaden didn't like it. The only solace he took was that Amara broke the speed limit again, sending the car flying through the streets until they pulled back in to Casa de Yuki's garage. The four of them filed into the kitchen, but before Jaden could go into the main hallway, Hanzo raised a finger, motioning for him to stay. Jaden gulped. This was probably where they were going to talk. Once Amara ushered Syrus into the living room, Jaden turned to his father.

"What's up?" Jaden asked.

"How does trying to find Zane translate into you jumping in front of a moving cab?" Hanzo asked.

"The passenger riding in that said something during his Duel with Zane that sounded like he knew something about this. But he lost consciousness. I had to make sure the driver knew what had happened."

"This is why we have rear view mirrors."

Jaden glanced downward. "Look, Dad, I'm sorry, I didn't know when he'd notice."

"What do you plan to do when you find out why Zane is like this?" Hanzo asked.

"Snap him out of it, that's what."

"And how do you plan to do _that?_ "

"Uh…" Short of Dueling this delusion out of Zane, Jaden's mind came up dry on anything. And though he gladly would have thrown the electrodes on himself and done it, the Duelists that had dropped like flies were a great big red sign telling him not to engage….at least for now.

"Have you tried confronting him about this?" Hanzo asked.

"I wanted to," Jaden said. "He and Syrus Dueled, and Syrus...well, lost." He felt his veins prickle at the memory. "I should have followed him, Dad. But I…" Syrus' agonized cries vibrating through the walls of his mind, the memories swirling in a turbulent whirlpool, drowning all reason. He clenched his fists, his knuckles paling. "I didn't."

"What would be the best possible ending to this?"

"Best ending?" Jaden asked. "Well, whatever the heck's wrong with Zane gets knocked out of him and he comes back for Syrus."

"And the worst?"

Jaden took a breath, but found it stuck in his throat. _The worst?_ He glanced over into the living room. Amara had put her hand on Syrus' shoulder and wrapped him in a gentle embrace. It was Jaden scraping his knees as a kid all over again.

"...That Zane doesn't change and Syrus will have nowhere to go."

A sigh trickled from Hanzo's nostrils, slightly rustling his dark beard. His eyes rattled with poignance, and his mouth twitched.

"Jaden," he started. "You know why you haven't met my mom and dad."

"Well, yeah," Jaden said, quirking an eyebrow. "They didn't like that you married Mom."

"And you know why they didn't like that."

"'Cause they were gonna have you take over their restaurants after you graduated high school."

"And right after your mother and I eloped, the empire they had spent generations building collapsed. I've said this before, a chef's life wasn't for me. I didn't speak to them after we sent them the announcement. I was content with that until Mom got pregnant with you three years later. I never regretted my decision, but the night she told me was the first time I had even considered what they and you would be missing.

"So I wrote them a letter. I told them we had gotten us a house, Mom was working a good job, that I was sorry for all the trouble I caused and hoped that they could at least be a part of your life. I sent that letter off the next morning. All these years later, I still haven't heard anything."

Jaden's eyes widened. All he had known until now was that his paternal grandparents hadn't liked the idea of Hanzo Yuki, their prodigy they had groomed to dominate the culinary industry, marrying someone as free-spirited and sanguine as Amara Swallow. Especially when they had gotten engaged right before Hanzo was to finally put on the chef's coat.

"Dad…"

"All I'm saying, Jaden, is that if you want to find out what happened to Zane, I won't stop you. Unless it involves jumping in front of cabs. But not all things are as simple as beating someone in a card game. People can't change people. For Syrus' sake, I hope that Zane will come around and do the right thing. But that will be on him, and him alone. And if worse comes to worst? Syrus won't be completely alone." He put his hand on his son's shoulder. "He'll always have a place here, with us."

Jaden's mind then flashed to what Amara had said earlier.

" _If you're done with whatever shenanigans you're doing, I'm taking my boys home."_

He bit back a grimace. It came as no surprise that Amara had already embraced Syrus as her own. But she wasn't whose arms he wanted around him.

Both Syrus and Jaden opted to call it an early night, so they both went to their respective rooms at 10 pm. However, rather than get ready to retire for the evening, Jaden fell back against his bed. Crossing his arms behind his head, his eyes lazily traced the stucco patterns on the ceiling. Suddenly, Winged Kuriboh appeared again, chirping questioningly.

"Gotta admit, what Dad said didn't make me feel much better," Jaden said honestly. "I mean, if watching your own brother get electrocuted didn't do anything to him, what will?"

The spirit warbled encouragingly. Jaden glanced over at his partner.

"You think so?" he asked. Winged Kuriboh affirmed its point. "I hope so. Man. Whatever that something is, it's gonna be hard to find."

His thoughts flashed back to Emma, lying on that hospital bed. _Not even that seemed to do anything. That we know of, at least._

As he finished that thought, his ears perked at the muffled sound of something trickling through the thin, red walls. _Hm?_ Jaden tuned his hearing a little further in. It was definitely a voice coming through. _Oh. It's Sy._ What was he going on about? There was something strange to the words. They sounded...musical? Swinging his legs off the bed, he went through his door and stopped right outside the guest room. Perching his fingertips against the door, Jaden pressed his ear against the wood.

" _...Luigh go ciúin sa chliabhán,_

 _Dún do shúil, a leabh dhílis..."_

Jaden raised both eyebrows. _I don't think I've ever heard Sy sing before. I wonder what song that is?_ The way each note was carried, it sounded quite soothing. At the same time, there was something ancient to each word.

" _Réalta geala anocht ag luascadh ins an spéir_

 _Fuaim na coille agus ceol na hoíche…"_

Jaden pulled his ear away from the door, continuing to listen to his friend sing. Even through the door, he could hear a wistfulness in each consonant and vowel. _Sy..._

He turned and returned to his room.

" _...Help…"_

 _Jaden had passed out the moment he collapsed onto his bed. But instead of being greeted with a Dueling arena and an opponent to play with, the youth found himself standing in a field smothered in crystalline snow. Snowflakes cut through the frigid air like a hurricane of knives, only slivers of the grey sky noticeable._

" _Hello?" Jaden tossed his head around, trying make sense of where he was. The voice was a smooth tenor that had gone through a synthesizer in a cave with robust echo._

" _...Help…" A new voice. Still synthesized, but much deeper, a bass tone._

 _Jaden narrowed his eyes. He wasn't sure how, but he could make out a shape through the flurry of snowflakes that all but blinded him. It was so massive, even though he tilted his head back all the way, he still couldn't see the top of the shape. All else he could truly make out was the accidental unevenness of its sides. A mountain, maybe?_

" _Where are you!?" Jaden called._

" _Help us!"_

 _His eyes widened. That last voice! He knew it! A robust baritone that had gone through the synthesizer again. Though it was faint, it was there; a stray ember falling away from the fire of memory. He searched within his mind, trying to match it to a face._

 _Suddenly, the swarm of snowflakes multiplied, eventually fading out the shape before him. Jaden gasped as the world all around him turned to complete white, and the sharp snowflakes began to cling to him, frosting over his hands and clothes-_

Jaden's eyes snapped open. He shot upright, taking a breath, and blinked a few times. His eyes wandered around for a moment, processing where exactly he was.

 _Jeez. Guess it could have been worse,_ he thought. Why did he have to wake up before he could realize who was speaking to him!? _Maybe if I try going back to sleep, I can figure it out._

Then he looked at the clock. 9:15 am. _Never mind! We better get going!_

Jaden darted off to his bathroom to tend to his morning rituals. Once those were completed, he threw on a white baseball tee with red sleeves and black jeans and loped out of his room. But just as he put his foot on the first step, he paused. ...Syrus normally had to wake him up while they were at the Academy. He turned back. The door was still closed.

"Sy?" he climbed back up and turned the knob. "Sy, you awa-? Oh, hi."

Syrus sat on the bed with his knees raised, staring at a card in his hands. He had clearly been up for a while, evidenced by the fact he was already dressed in a green, long sleeved shirt and white jeans. There were socks on his feet, but no shoes. He turned to face his friend and smiled.

"Hey, Jay," he greeted.

"You're usually trying to get me up in the morning," Jaden said.

"Mm." Syrus turned back to the card in his hands. "I've been up for a while. Guess I lost track of time."

"Whatcha lookin' at?" Jaden slowly approached his best friend.

Syrus' eyes widened, like he hadn't anticipated Jaden's curiosity. "Oh, I was just going through my deck. Never hurts to check every card once in a while." He set the card down on the bed and hopped up. "Let me get my shoes."

Syrus darted off to the other side of the room. Jaden used this opportunity to sweep the card up and take a glance. His eyes widened.

 _Power Bond?_

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Syrus slip a sneaker on his foot. Jaden quickly put the card back down. When he glanced over at the nightstand, he realized the rest of the deck was sitting on top of it, out on its own.

 _Just going through the deck, huh?_

Downstairs in the kitchen, a mountain of freshly baked cinnamon rolls, three large bowls of frosting, and a buffet of fruit and nuts awaited the two friends. Also waiting for them was Hanzo, who turned to face them once he heard their footsteps.

"Oh good, you're both up," Hanzo said. "You going to see that PI today?"

"Uh...are we?" Syrus turned towards Jaden.

"You bet we are!" Jaden enthused, plucking off a few rolls.

"The girl from Duel Academy was with you as well last night, right?" Hanzo asked.

"Alexis? Yeah." Jaden nodded.

"Is it just the three of you?"

"Nope. There are a couple of other guys from Duel Academy with us too."

"Take what you don't eat to your friends and the investigator," Hanzo said. "If we learned anything from your graduation Duel, you'll probably find more clues when you're not hungry."

"Think Janda's gonna have enough room in his fridge?" Syrus asked.

"We've got a ton here, so I'll drive you two to his office," Hanzo said. "Unless-" he pointed at Syrus. "Are you going to see your mom today?"

Syrus considered this for a moment. "...I'll visit her another time. I'm sure she'll understand."

"Let me know when you two are ready." Hanzo took a cinnamon roll for himself before leaving the boys to the rest. When he stepped away from the island, Jaden turned back to Syrus.

"So, what did Mom say to you last night?" he asked.

"She was worried, mostly," Syrus said. "I gave her some more details about...some stuff Zane said while he was on the island. She didn't say anything outright, but I think she wanted to give him a piece of her mind."

 _It's probably a good thing Zane's not here right now,_ Jaden thought. _Mom would have killed him if she knew what we...what I saw._ He didn't dare think about what Amara would have said had she found out about the shock collars. _Actually..._ would it have been a question of what she would have _said_ or what she would have _done_?

Jaden grimaced.

"But she didn't have a problem with us going back to see Janda again," Syrus added, biting into a cinnamon roll he had grabbed.

"Well that's music to my ears," Jaden sighed. Then, he remembered. "Speaking of music, what were you singing last night?"

Syrus practically choked on the roll, the blood rushing to his cheeks as he recoiled. "Y-Y-You heard that!?" he whispered.

"Sorry. Forgot to tell you we kinda have thin walls upstairs."

Syrus looked at the cabinet, clearly sweating bullets. "Oh man. Ohmanohmanohmanohman-"

"Look, Sy." Jaden held his hands up. "How long have you been here? Judgment free zone."

Syrus sighed. "I know. Still embarrassing."

"So, what was that song?" Jaden asked once more. "It sounded like it was in Irish."

" _Gaelic,_ " Syrus gently corrected.

"I've heard it both ways. I knew she called you her...what was it? My cushion?"

"Mo cuishle?"

"That's it, but I didn't know you knew a whole other language!"

"I wouldn't go that far. That song is a lullaby Mom always sang to us. I know a couple other songs in Gaelic through Mom, and I know some words, but I couldn't have a conversation with you at all. Zane knows some phrases, so he could get by if he had to. Mom's fluent, but not perfect."

"Any chance you know how to say, 'get your game on'?"

Syrus chuckled. "Let me get back to you on that. We should meet with the others."

The Yukimobile pulled up to a few feet from Cypress Falls' main entrance.

"So this is where he works?" Hanzo asked, eyeing up the complex.

"Yep," Syrus confirmed.

"I see. So he works from home!" Hanzo deduced.

"Makes sense when you put it that way," Jaden replied.

"Okay, both of you, call me if you have questions or when you're done for the day."

"Will do," Syrus said. The two boys opened their doors, with Syrus carrying a long box that held what remained of the cinnamon roll buffet.

"Otter," Jaden said to Hanzo as he hopped out.

"Otter," Hanzo replied back with a smile. Jaden pushed the door closed with his back and then joined Syrus on the sidewalk. The Yukimobile cruised away, its passengers watching as it faded into the distance.

"I've heard of people calling each other their lobster, but never their otter," Syrus commented.

Jaden shrugged and started for the entrance. "Never heard my folks express it any other way. And otters _are_ kinda cool."

"They are," Syrus concurred. "My parents kept it simple. I…" He paused, thinking through something, and then sighed. "I'm glad those were their last words to each other."

Jaden's mind flashed to what he knew about James Truesdale's last moments alive, crumpled on the ground as gunfire flew wild, his hand against his neck, his carotid artery torn open from a single bullet piercing through. All it would have taken was a few seconds. How many last words ran in his head before that very little time was up?

"...Me too, Sy. Me too."

Syrus gave Jaden a small smile, but it fell as the brunet opened the door.

"I just wish Zane had a chance to say goodbye before then."

"Huh? Whaddya mean?" The two of them started up the wooden stairs that had begun to splinter every four steps.

Syrus glanced off to the side, thinking. "My brother wasn't home when Dad left for work that night. He had been gone for a while. I don't remember where he was, other than he was out of the country and didn't know until he got home the morning after."

Jaden's eyes widened. "Out of the _country_? And how old was he?"

Syrus quickly calculated in his head. "...Nine. Like I said, I don't remember where he was. The next month after Dad died is blurry."

Jaden blinked, sifting through what Syrus just threw at him.

 _So, you had no way to know James died until you got home?_ he thought. _At least you were home when Sy needed you. Still...where were you?_

Despite the obnoxious creaks under every step they took and the extra two minutes, the stairs proved to be a much smoother way to get up to the third floor. Once again, Jaden rapped at the door with a woodpecker's momentum. Just a second later, the door opened.

"Lex?" Jaden asked, surprised to see the girl with the golden hair before them.

"Hey," she greeted. "Good timing, Bastion just told us he figured something out."

"So everyone else is here?" Syrus asked.

"Yeah...what's in the box?" She glanced down at Syrus' hands.

"My dad made some cinnamon rolls," Jaden explained.

"Some?" Alexis flashed a small smile at him.

Syrus nodded in acknowledgement. "Just the...uh, leftovers," he added.

She grinned, glancing away for a second. "All right, get in here." She sidestepped, letting them through. Janda looked over, seated in the chair across from the couch.

"Welcome," he greeted. "Looks like you brought refreshments."

Hassleberry, who was seated on the very end further away from the two, leaned over and saw what Syrus was carrying. "From what it looks like, enough to fuel us for a three day battle."

"Set them on the island and let's get going," Janda said. Syrus did just that, and the two of them stood behind the couch. "Bastion found something interesting last night."

"I was able to track down where all four of our victims are presently living last night," Bastion began, typing away at his laptop. Several pages popped up, covering most of his screen. "I cross referenced articles from _The Rapier, Battlefield Observer, Monster's Nation, Gladiator,_ and _War Hammer Press._ "

"Didn't you say you couldn't get information about those two guys since we don't know where Zane Dueled them?" Chazz asked, surprised.

"We don't know that information _yet_ ," Bastion replied. "But having information for the sake of having it never hurt anyone. I was able to track Aleph's and Rafé's homes. Aleph is renting an apartment in the Golden Wheel Apartments and Rafé lives in Lion's Hollow. I compared the two complexes in their proximity to the Duel Dome. Golden Wheel is a five minute drive from there, twenty-five if you go on foot. Lion's Hollow is twenty five minutes from the Duel Dome by cab."

"So Rafé was about halfway home when he passed out," Alexis concluded.

"That doesn't mean anything though," Chazz interjected. "If it took him thirteen minutes to pass out, shouldn't that go for Aleph and the others as well?"

"I'll go to the Golden Wheel and question the staff and tenants," Janda said. "See if we can confirm if Mativi came back on foot."

Syrus gasped. "Hey, Alexis, didn't Rafé give you his deck last night?"

Alexis nodded. "I'm keeping it hidden at my place."

"Did he say why?" Janda asked.

Alexis shook her head. "Only that if anyone asked, it was lost."

"That's weird," Syrus said. "Who just hands their deck off to a complete stranger?"

"Someone who doesn't want someone else to get their hands on it," Jaden commented.

"Jeez, thanks, Captain Obvious," Chazz deadpanned.

"Here's what I don't get," Hassleberry cut in. "Who was going after his troops? Maybe he thought Zane would?"

"What!? No way!"

All eyes turned on Syrus, who quickly turned red when he recognized what just happened. "It, uh...just doesn't sound like him, that's all."

"Private, _he_ -!"

"Let's also not forget that Tablo knew something about these Duels," Janda interrupted. "As far as we know, we were the only ones who put two and two together before last night."

He finally stood, intently staring at the gang.

"All of you take a break away from here. I'm heading to Golden Wheel to see if anyone saw how Mativi got back to his apartment, and take a witness statement if I can. You got your earpieces?"

The teens sounded off a chorus of affirmatives. "I'm keeping mine off until if I finish taking a statement. I'll update you all in an hour."

"Good luck with it," Syrus said.

Janda smiled. "Assuming it's on our side, we won't need it." He opened the door allowed the gang out first, closing it behind Bastion.

"Man, I was hoping he would show us how to take a statement!" Jaden groaned as the gang climbed down the steps.

"Somebody walks in with a PI wanting to question you and there are six of us just standing there? That'd go great," Chazz answered.

"It's not like he has a two way mirror anyways," Syrus added. "This will probably be best."

"Hey, Syrus, didn't I hear you say your dad's DCPD last night?" Chazz asked.

Syrus' eyes widened. "U-uh, yeah?"

Chazz's brow furrowed. "Why isn't _he_ helping with this?"

Syrus glanced off to the side. His saturnine expression elicited Hassleberry's elbow ramming into Chazz's bicep.

" _Ow_! What!?" Chazz asked.

"Out of line, soldier," Hassleberry hissed.

"What are you-?" Chazz cut himself off as his eyes widened. He glanced up at Syrus for a moment, and Jaden thought he saw a flicker of...something. The dark haired teen turned back around, keeping his focus on the stairs. Jaden felt Bastion's curious gaze behind them, but ignored it for now.

Once the gang collected in the foyer, they walked out and started for Domino Plaza at Alexis' suggestion. The way the group lined up allowed Jaden to walk beside her; an arrangement he had no objection to.

"So, did you make it home okay last night?" Jaden asked.

"I did." Alexis nodded, smiling at him. "Atticus had _so_ many questions."

"Like what?" Jaden asked.

"What I was doing with you two and Janda, if you wound up on Mom's autopsy table, why I was going after Zane…" She craned her head skyward, smile faltering, and crossed her arms, her fingers gently gripping the skin on her elbows. "Atticus just went on about the Duel they had and how Zane did all this stuff and we probably can't do anything. I just...how can they be the same person?"

"Atticus and Zane?" Jaden's eyes widened.

"No." Alexis shook her head. "The Zane I knew and the Zane we're chasing now. This is the guy who..." She trailed off, then sighed. "Never mind."

The plaza was alive with people going about; a typical sight on a Saturday morning. The group found themselves gravitating towards a coffee shop with several tables open, and they all congregated at one, Bastion and Jaden pulling up two chairs to join their friends.

"Janda could be a while in getting a statement," Jaden said. "Any ideas on what we should do for now?"

"Well, we have a hypothetical who and how, but nothing on a why," Bastion said. He crossed his arms. "I mused over what we know as of right now last night. I wasn't aware of everything that happened while he was at the Academy, but I do know Zane never gave a straight answer as to what triggered this way of thinking."

"So, you're thinking that if we can figure out what caused him to change, we'll have a better chance of snapping him out of it?" Syrus asked.

"Exactly," Bastion replied.

"How are we gonna get him to talk, though?" Alexis asked. "He's not a guy of many words, and he's definitely not one to share everything going on in his life. As he is now, he might be more clammed up."

"Why don't we think of some possibilities?" Hassleberry suggested. "That should at least get us some kind of tactical approach."

The gang all glanced at each other.

"It's worth a try," Bastion said. "Syrus, are you all right with this?"

Syrus nodded in turn.

"Atticus mentioned that he thought Zane was being controlled when they Duelled," Alexis said.

"Right," Syrus acknowledged. "But Zane disputed that. I heard him say it."

"Well, now that I think about it-," Jaden started.

"Wow, you actually think," Chazz quipped.

"-we faced seven Shadow Riders, their leader, and the Society of Light," he continued. "All of them could brainwash people."

"Wouldn't an enemy that big announce itself, though?" Hassleberry asked. "Sartorius wasn't exactly effective with camouflage."

"Neither were most of the Shadow Riders," Syrus added. "The only one that really managed to do that was-ow!" Syrus was cut off by Jaden shoving his leg into his.

"Syrus has a point," Bastion cut in. "Maybe this is something undercover."

"But there _was_ that whole ten consecutive losses issue," Chazz said. "He could have just cracked, plain and simple."

"Enough to electrocute your own brother a thousand times?" Alexis asked sharply.

Chazz turned his cold, dark eyes to her. "Happens all the time. Not the electrocution part, but when people snap, they snap."

"Chazz, I think the point Alexis was trying to make was that that scenario might be more complicated than it sounds," Jaden retorted.

"And maybe it's not. All I'm saying is that we shouldn't get hung up on the weirdest possibility we can think of, weird as this whole thing is." He glanced at Alexis once more, then turned his eyes back to the table.

Jaden cocked his head. _That's weird. I figured he'd be kissing up to her._

"It could also be emotional trauma," Bastion said.

"Emotional trauma?" Jaden asked. "Yeah, that first loss sucked, but it couldn't have sucked so much he'd go this far off the deep end."

"Well, the match before all this happened would be humiliating for anyone," Bastion said. "His opponent was a joke. Combine it with the fact the whole world watched that Duel, and it would get to anyone."

"Enough to commit this level of treason?" Hassleberry asked.

"The way you say it makes it sound like he brought in a nuclear bomb," Syrus pointed out.

Hassleberry narrowed his eyes at him. "Reasoning doesn't diffuse one."

"Actually, Hassleberry, maybe it could," Alexis interjected. "We've literally been trying to knock the sense into him, but maybe we need a way to talk it into him?"

"Assuming he's gonna even want to hear it," Syrus said. "Atticus and I both tried to talk to him, but he wouldn't say anything."

"Maybe we should try it _without_ the Dueling," Alexis proposed. "Taking him out of that environment might make him listen."

"How are we going to get him to let us talk to him?" Bastion asked.

"Bear in mind, you technically can't force him to talk."

Everyone but Bastion and Hassleberry visibly jumped.

"Argh!" Jaden groaned. "I was listening for him and I jumped anyway!"

"Did you get a statement already, Janda?" Alexis asked.

"Didn't take too long. Turns out Mativi talks to the cleaning lady there every day," Janda replied.

"So what did she say?" Chazz asked.

"Mativi always walks back after a match," Janda answered. "The night he went under was no different."

"And how long did it take for him to get back on foot again?" Chazz pressed.

"Twenty-five minutes," Bastion said.

"So it can't consistently be thirteen minutes," Janda said. "So now the question becomes, how long did it for Fiarao and Partichiso to lose consciousness, and what made the timeline change with Tablo?"

"We still don't know where they were," Hassleberry reminded the group.

"No, we don't," Bastion said. Then, as if on cue, he gasped, which was followed by a smirk. Among the group, that was a very common indicator that Bastion Misawa just had a eureka moment.

"But knowing where they live narrows it down by ninety-nine percent," he said. Pulling out his laptop once more, he pushed the screen up and began typing away, his fingers flying like jumping spiders in mid-flight.

"What are you thinking, Bastion?" Syrus asked.

"Simon Fiarao and Bridget Partachiso live at the Lazy River and Mystic Crest Apartments, respectively," Bastion said. "We now know Aleph had at least a twenty-five minute window before he lost consciousness. Assuming Zane Dueled them within close proximity to the Duel Dome, a cab to Lazy River would take fifteen minutes, Mystic Crest twenty."

"How long on foot?" Janda asked.

"Double for both," Bastion replied.

"I'm heading over to both now," Janda said. "Give me at least one more hour. I know I haven't given you kids much to do today, but I'm used to taking statements."

"I guess time on the force will give you that," Syrus said, shrugging. "Don't worry too much about it, Janda."

"Are you gonna teach us how to do that?" Jaden enthused.

It was quiet for a moment, as if Janda was thinking about what Jaden proposed.

"How about if we cross that bridge when we get there?" Janda asked. "We've got more questions than answers, and you're bound to get more questions before you finally get answers."

"Sweet!" Jaden pumped his fist.

Chazz raises an eyebrow. "You're enjoying every minute of this, aren't you?"

"I'd only seen PIs on TV," Jaden clarified. "Never thought I'd meet an actual one!"

"You're quickly finding out it's not all that's cracked up to be, unfortunately," Janda said.

"Psh, what are you talking about? This is great!"'

"Even the part where you almost got hit by a taxi?" Syrus asked.

"But did I die?"

Everyone else sighed, exasperated.

"I'm getting close to Lazy River," Janda said. "Before I get in there, the cleaning lady mentioned something about Mativi."

"And what was that?" Syrus asked.

"She mentioned that he looked like he was under some distress," Janda said.

"The Cyberdark Dragon is definitely imposing," Bastion said. "I'd hate to get attacked directly by it."

"I wasn't finished," Janda interjected. "He gave her a message."

"And that was…?" Chazz prompted.

"That if someone asked her where he was, he split town."

The gang all exchanged looks of mutual confusion.

"Sounds like whatever was after Tablo was after Mativi as well," Janda continued. "As far as she knows, Aleph wasn't in any trouble nor did he have any known enemies, and he wouldn't tell her what his problem was. I'll ask about Fiarao and Partachiso once I confirm when they got back to their places."

"So it sounds like right after the Duels, they had a feelin' something was on their six," Hassleberry said.

"It doesn't sound like Zane's threatening them somehow after a match," Alexis said. "So what are these guys running away from?"

"Beats me," Jaden said.

"I propose we wait until Janda gets finished and meet back at his apartment," Bastion suggested.

"A wise plan," Janda said. "Keep your earpieces on and wait for me. I'll let you know when to come back. Don't get too comfortable at home."

"Roger that," Hassleberry said.

A chorus of affirmatives later, Janda said, "All right. I'm parking at Lazy River. I'm turning my earpiece off."

"Good luck, Janda," Syrus encouraged.

Jaden could see the private detective smiling at the words. "Thanks, Syrus. I'm going in."

* * *

 **Yeah.** **Kind of a slower chapter compared to the last one. But I would want to decompress after nearly getting hit by a taxi cab. XD So that's gonna do it for Chapter 7, Chapter 8 is currently being written. It's still in the early stages of writing, but it's got a good head on its shoulders so far! If you've made it this far, thank you so much for reading, and I look forward to seeing you again in the next chapter! Be sure to favorite this story and leave a review before you go, and follow this story if you want to see more of these investigative shenanigans.**

 **Ardorous thanks go to Kristine Angela Booth, Arwen, and The Father of Armed Dragons; my small army of betas who make this passion project what it is.**

 **Thank you for following** ** _Hand of Sorrow!_**


	8. Can I Speak To The Ex-Manager?

**Hey guys! Welcome back to another chapter of** ** _Hand of Sorrow!_** **I've got a little fun fact for you guys in this opener today. Yes, I named this fic after a Within Temptation song. It was actually meant to be a working title until I could come up with something better. Look how well that turned out. Oh well!**

 **For the Chazz fans that are reading this fic, this one's for you. Yes, there is a Duel in here. A note for you all: His deck in this chapter is Ojama/Armed Dragon focused. For the latter, I dedicate this chapter to a very special beta: Father of Armed Dragons! His wit has picked me off the foor from writing this more times than I can count, and he laughs like a great friend. And yes, as his alias suggests, the Armed Dragons are definitely his babies.**

 **All right. Buckle up, keep your tray tables up, and put your seats in the full upright position, 'cause here comes Chapter 8!**

 **Yu-Gi-Oh! GX is (C) Kazuki Takahashi.**

* * *

 **Chapter VIII**

 **Can I Speak To The Ex-Manager?**

"Okay," Chazz said, looking around the plaza. "What does he expect us to do for an hour?"

"This whole thing just keeps getting weirder and weirder," Syrus remarked.

"You're tellin' me. This time and place thing is making my head hurt!" Jaden grimaced as his hands flew to his temples.

"Well, we've got Janda looking into that," Alexis said. "Why don't we look at another lead until he's ready to talk to us again?"

Bastion leaned in closer. "Do you have a particular one in mind?"

Alexis tapped her finger to her chin, thinking for a moment. "...We may not be able to get Zane to cooperate right now, but there have to be people who have _some_ idea of what he did that night."

"Like a manager?" Hassleberry asked.

"Someone like that," Alexis replied.

"And why would a manager know what he was doing that night?" Chazz asked, skeptically raising an eyebrow.

"Maybe they won't," Alexis said. "But it's something to start with. Syrus, do you know who his manager was?"

Syrus pondered this question for a minute. "...Zane gave us his name at one point. I can't remember what it - wait...I think I've got an e-mail or a text somewhere with it." He pulled out his cell phone and began scrolling through.

Jaden's eyes widened. "Alexis, you don't think his old manager did something, did he?"

"I don't know, but with where Zane was mentally? Maybe he said or did something that pushed him over the edge."

"Or maybe he gave him a pep talk that didn't get through to him?" Jaden proposed.

When he looked at everyone around the table, their mutual stares of shock bore into him, like he had said something not even a village idiot could have come up with. Jaden was used to these looks. But even this remark seemed innocent enough.

"What?" Jaden asked.

"Do you _really_ not get it?" Chazz asked.

"Dominic Moran!"

The line of questioning was cut short when Syrus piped up. All heads turned directly to him.

"All three of us are on a group text," Syrus explained. "He sent this to Mom and me just a little bit before his match with Aster. ' _Signed on with Dominic Moran. I'm officially official'."_

"Moran!?" Chazz pitched forward as if he had been electrically shocked.

"You know him, Private?" Hassleberry asked.

"Just that the guy's as cut-throat as they come. He _only_ hires the best Duelists in the world. He'll treat you right when you've got momentum, but fail and he'll chew you up, spit you out, and not even give you the dignity of going in the trash."

Something glinted in Syrus' eyes. "And Zane had those losses all at once…" After a heavy second, he shot straight up from his seat. "I'm going to talk to him."

"And do what?" Chazz asked. "Kick down his door and cry about how he wronged Zane?"

Syrus opened his mouth to retaliate, but the words died with the fire in his eyes. He sat down, resigned.

"The Chazz on the other hand, might be able to pull something out of him." Chazz's mouth tugged into that smug smile that everyone knew.

"What are _you_ going to do?" Bastion asked incredulously.

"Run himself into a wall until he gets a stress headache is what it sounds like."

Chazz jumped, yelping at Janda's quip. "I thought you needed an hour!"

"Still do," Janda replied. "All suspects are different, some more cooperative or full of information than others. I just finished up with a neighbor of Fiarao's. I'm heading to Mystic Crest now."

Syrus thought about Janda's reasoning for a second. "That makes sense."

"Should we await further orders, General?" Hassleberry asked.

"How long were you listening?" Jaden asked, raising both eyebrows.

"Long enough to know Dominic Moran was Zane's manager before he got the boot," Janda replied. "Wait until I get back. You'll get nowhere with Moran if you ask the wrong questions."

Chazz scoffed. "I'm the Chazz. I got this."

"What was that you were saying about cut throat?"

Alexis glanced at him. "He's right, Chazz, we better-,"

Chazz narrowed his eyes at her. "Since when do I answer to you?" he retorted hotly.

Alexis flinched, but her face betrayed more surprise than offense.

"Dude! Not cool!" Jaden cut in.

"Where are you guys right now?" Janda asked.

"Domino Plaza," Alexis said. The shock had faded from her face.

"Janda, I can handle Moran," Chazz said. "I can get into his office today - right now, even."

"And how do you plan to do that?" Janda pressed.

Chazz _hmphed_. "There's more than one way to Chazz someone up." He stood, the chair legs scraping along the tile.

"What does _that_ mean, exactly?" Janda asked, the confusion _very_ evident.

"Don't ask," everyone else deadpanned in unison.

"This isn't gonna take long," Chazz promised with slightly too much confidence. "I might even be back before any of you slackers get another lead."

"Hey now, team effort here," Janda chastened sternly.

Chazz turned and sauntered towards the plaza. The rest of the gang just looked at each other, each thinking a mutual thought. It was Jaden who voiced it loud and clear through the earpieces.

"What's his problem?"

Chazz ignored the words, reaching one hand up to switch his earpiece off, the other into his black jean pocket for his cell phone. A quick search later, he dialed the phone number presented to him.

Chazz had gotten off the phone with a secretary when...

"Hey! Chazz, wait up!"

Chazz turned and saw Syrus running towards him, the air rustling his hair with every step. Once he was in front of him, Syrus skidded to a stop, panting just slightly.

"What are you doing?" Chazz asked.

"I'm going with you," Syrus declared.

Chazz raised an eyebrow. "Moran isn't going to waste his time with you. I already booked the appointment anyways."

The words didn't faze Syrus this time. Rather, it provided fuel for his next words.

"If this Moran guy had something to do with what happened to Zane, I wanna know. My mom deserves to know what happened to him. _I_ deserve to know."

"Look, I'll tell you what you need to know when I get back," Chazz countered. "I'm calling a cab."

"Chazz, I need answers. I want him to _answer me._ Wouldn't you want that if it was Alexis in Zane's position?"

The retort knocked Chazz's counter off his lips. Now, in his mind, stood the love of his life, garbed head to toe in a black leather dress that glowed menacingly under Dueling lights. All traces of sweetness in her face were buried under a sadistic stare, her laugh riddled with uncontained glee as her opponent collapsed in terror -

"Let's go." Chazz turned and continued out of the plaza.

"Wait, really?" Syrus asked.

"You said you wanted answers, didn't you?" Chazz asked, continuing to walk. "Let's get you some."

"Okay!" Syrus ran to catch up and walk beside him. "Speaking of...what was that with Alexis back there?"

"Hm?" Chazz glanced at his companion. "Nothing. I just wanted to do this the Chazz way."

"Did that include being a jerk to her?" Syrus questioned.

"Okay, I might have been a little rough, but really, nothing's going on," Chazz retorted.

"You sure?" Syrus was now completely skeptical.

"Don't we have a bigger problem to worry about? Like what's wrong with Zane?"

"Fine, I won't mention it," Syrus sighed.

At this point, they had crossed outside of the plaza. As Syrus waved down a taxi, Chazz pondered the conversation that had just happened.

 _Yeah,_ he thought. _That wasn't any way to treat her. But...what am I supposed to do now?_

It was a quiet drive from the plaza to Moran Management. Questions circulated around Chazz's brain, and he carefully weeded through each one. Every now and then, however, he cast a glance over at Syrus. Like a dog curious about the world outside, Syrus' eyes were locked on the outside of the window.

From the moment Chazz stepped into the Obelisk Blue dorm almost two years ago, the others had whispered about one Zane Truesdale. Each whisper changed depending on who he passed in the halls. A guy of few words. A Machine-type Duelist. Usually could be found by the lighthouse at the end of the day. Kind of standoffish. But there was one that leapt out at Chazz.

" _A kaiser among us,"_ he had heard some Ra Yellow say.

A kaiser? That wasn't a word typically used in this day and age. Though they were in the same dorm, had a few classes together - _even taking on the Shadow Riders as two of a group -_ they only recognized each other by name, face, and Dueling style. In all of that one year, they barely engaged in conversation with each other, but having seen him Duel, he knew those whispers about being undefeated were true.

And then there was Syrus. Oh, _Syrus_.

With Zane off doing...whatever he did, Chazz saw more of and spoke more with that whelp they called a brother. Despite the fraternal ties, all Syrus truly was to him was Jaden's minion. But this last year, much to the shock of everyone who knew him, Syrus Truesdale, the whelp, grew into a wolf - a boy reborn who even had a chance of taking the Genex Tournament. At least...until…

Chazz glanced at Syrus, but this time, his gaze remained fixed on him. He had been under the Society of Light's thumb when Zane unraveled. But once he had been released, that news hit him like a newspaper to a fly. It couldn't be. Zane? _Zane?_ Duel Academy's kaiser and poster boy for a paragon Duelist? It had to have been stupid tabloid rumors. There was no other explanation for this narrative. Just days later, Syrus had to be wheeled into the infirmary, suffering from repeated electrocution during a Duel. Everyone he talked to that had seen that Duel all pointed their fingers at one person.

Unconsciously, Chazz's fingers grazed his neck.

 _My brothers were snakes, but even they wouldn't take it that far,_ he thought. _...Would they?_

"Chazz? You okay?" Syrus asked, turning to him.

"Huh?" Chazz found himself back in the cab. "Uh, yeah, what's your problem?"

"I don't have one," Syrus replied. "You've just been staring at me for a while."

Chazz's eyes widened. How long had he been lost in thought!? His mind scrambled, trying to find something unrelated to come back with, but was met with something he wasn't planning to talk to this one about.

"...Your dad passed away?" he asked.

Syrus' lips parted in a silent, partial gasp. For a moment, it looked like the question had struck him literally dumb.

"Nngh," Chazz finally said. "Forget I ask-"

"How did you know?" Syrus asked.

"I saw the look on your face when I asked back at the apartment," Chazz replied. "Well, that and Commander Dinodork elbowing me."

Out of the corner of Chazz's eyes, Syrus' mouth tugged into the slightest smile, but it dropped just as quickly.

"Yeah," he finally said. "Zane and I were kids."

Chazz's eyes widened, but he decided quickly not to push the issue. So he rolled his head sidelong to look out the window, just as his companion was doing. Finally, the driver pulled up to a boring, white, two story building that blended in with the others, and the cab crawled to a stop. Chazz quickly paid the driver, Syrus offering a thank you as they stepped out. As the cab pulled away, Syrus touched his earpiece.

"Well, we're here," he said into it. It was only then Chazz realized he never turned his back on.

"...Oh man," Syrus said. "Anybody bring their deck? ...Oh no. Is he showing withdrawal symptoms yet? ...Isn't there a card shop in the area? He'll probably be all over that. Okay. Jay, hang in there! We're, uh, going in!" He flicked the earpiece off then.

"Let me guess. Jaden's itching for a Duel," Chazz stabbed.

"How'd you guess?" Syrus asked sarcastically.

"He goes into withdrawal if he doesn't Duel? What does he do, do handstands and contortions?"

"Well…" Syrus crossed his arms. "Remember when Jaden and I had to write that ten page paper when we won against the Paradox Brothers?"

"He actually did it?" Chazz's jaw could have hit the sidewalk.

"After screaming about how he couldn't take it anymore and running all over the island to get a Duel from anyone about twenty times."

Chazz made a mental note to lock his dorm room when they went back to school. "Well, let's make this quick before he has to be restrained." He started ahead, throwing the door open. Syrus caught it, following him inside. The two of them briefly spoke with the receptionist, who motioned them up the sleek, mahogany stairs to seek Dominic Moran. Chazz nodded in acknowledgement, and the two of them started up the steps.

"So, I don't understand," Syrus said. "If you only want to sign with Moran after you've been in the Pros for a while, wouldn't Zane have had enough time to gain that momentum?"

"I'm not talking months." Chazz shook his head. "You want him after you've been in for a few _years._ That hasn't stopped Moran from trying to get people under his management while they're still fresh though. Especially if they show promise."

Syrus' eyes widened as they stepped into an ivory painted hall. "So...so he took advantage of Zane!?"

"We don't know that," Chazz countered. "It's more likely Zane jumped the gun agreeing to be his spokesman."

"That's not like Zane at all. He _never_ leaps without looking."

"Just graduated Duel Academy, stepping into the Pros as fresh meat, making a name for yourself as quickly as he did? Even _that_ can get to the coolest of heads," Chazz said.

Syrus blinked, considering what he just said. Then, his hand slid up his other arm, gently gripping his elbow while his head craned downward. Chazz saw his mouth move, but what his companion said was buried under a whisper. His hardened expression chipped. With what Syrus revealed to him in the cab, some of his old insecurities started to make sense. _Way_ too much sense. And coupled with the whispers that Obelisk's kaiser looked down on his own flesh and blood like a peasant? Chazz suddenly remembered the Slifer whelp that crawled into Duel Academy with his tail between his legs, but now he was painted in a much darker light.

He felt something glint in the space between all these thoughts, but it dashed away before Chazz could identify it. Ignoring it, they continued to the end of the hall, beholding a wooden door. Chazz rapped it thrice.

"So what do you want us to do?" Ojama Green chimed. Chazz's mouth twitched.

"If he can't see us, we could cause all kinds of mischief!" Ojama Yellow pointed out excitedly.

"Knock over pencils, throw a coffee cup, make ghostly noises?" Ojama Black suggested.

"Just say the word and we're _all_ over it!" All three declared with alacrity.

Chazz bore his teeth. "Okay, here's the word," he growled softly. "Just _be quiet._ "

 _Right_ as he said that, the door veered open. Chazz jumped slightly, suddenly very grateful he had ended his sentence at the right time. Standing in the doorway was a man that towered over both of them. His hair - the color of dusty, dried tobacco leaves - was combed back, scruff lining his squared face. The man stared down the boys, grey eyes lit with confusion and irritation.

"Uh, Dominic Moran, right?" Syrus asked sheepishly, removing his hand from his arm.

"Can I help you with something?" The man narrowed his eyes.

"Actually, yes." Chazz inched closer. "We wanted to talk to you about a former client of yours."

Moran raised his eyebrows, inching away from the two. " _Former_ client? Look, I'm sorry for who it was, but I don't pay for losses. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got an eleven o'clock right now with someone actually about to join the Pr-."

" _No."_ Syrus' arm shot out, catching the door before it could close. This action, plus the wisp of impatience in his tone, caught Moran by surprise. Before he could react, Chazz pushed the door all the way open and strut his way into the office.

"Excuse me?" Moran glared at the kids as they walked in.

"Did it _sound_ like we were finished?" Chazz bit, taking a brief look around the room. Dark turquoise walls, cheap grey carpet, a glass-topped desk with several papers and random adornments (including a pure white, porcelain coffee mug) and a few paintings on the wall ranging from the open ocean to still lifes to naturescapes. Above a large painting of a sparkling sea behind the desk was a black, elongated, wooden sign with a quote written in white.

" _It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it,"_ Chazz read to himself. _...Douglas MacArthur, huh?_

Moran stepped forward. "I'm _saying_ you're finished."

"We're far from it. 'Cause, well..." Chazz turned around and crossed his arms, a smirk spreading over his face. " _I'm_ your eleven o'clock."

The statement slapped the irritation out of Moran's face, quickly replacing it with shock. He extended a finger towards him.

"You…?" Whatever else he might have said was lost before it could come out.

"You've got us for the next half hour, so you better get comfortable," Chazz added.

Moran exhaled heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. "All right. Have a seat." It sounded more like a command than an offer.

Regardless, Chazz and Syrus took that up in two black folding chairs, Moran seating himself across from them in a more contemporary, brown leather one.

"Okay," Moran said. "Before we start, who even are you?"

"The name's Chazz, and that -" Chazz cocked his head towards his companion. "-is Syrus Truesdale."

Moran's eyebrows shot up. "Truesdale? ...Ah, _crap._ "

Neither one of the two boys anticipated that reaction. They glanced at each other for a second before turning back to the manager, whose brawny fingers cinched around his eyes.

"Are you related to Zane?" Moran finally asked, hand unmoving.

"My brother," Syrus said tersely. "Older - er, he's older."

Moran sighed, finally removing his hand from his face. "Look, kid. The Pros are tough. You gotta pull your weight around here."

"That's not why we're here," Chazz interjected. "Unless you've been living under a rock or something, Zane's lost more than a few marbles."

Moran eyed Chazz suspiciously. "Why would what he's doing now concern me?" He held his hands outward. "I haven't spoken to the kid since that joke of a Duel in the amateurs."

" _Now_ we're on the same page," Chazz said, crossing a leg. "Syrus here needs answers, and you would have been the last person Zane talked to after that."

Moran chortled. "Again, why is this my business? Once I cut a client, they're dead to me. Until you walked in here, I hadn't given Zane two thoughts."

"Don't make this harder than it has to be," Chazz threatened. "You're required to meet with your clients if you're giving them the boot. So, what happened at that meeting?"

"Now you've got me wondering why this is your business," Moran retorted.

Chazz glared. "There's an ex-client of yours menacing Duelists in the name of winning. And for all we know? _You_ might have caused this."

Moran's mouth slightly parted, and then he chortled again, shaking his head.

"So let me get this straight," he said. "I stop managing a client because he can't pull a win out of the seat of his pants, he throws a tantrum, and you say it's _my_ fault?

"Depends," Syrus cut in, now glaring. "What happened at the meeting?"

"I recommend being honest," Chazz added.

Moran leaned back, arms crossed. "Okay. I'll be honest with you."

"Yeah?" Syrus' eyes widened, shining with a newfound hope.

"Yeah," Moran replied. "What I do with my clients is my concern alone. Not you, not the kid brother of the client, no one else's. My company only hires the best players in the world, not deadbeats."

Syrus recoiled as if he had been slapped. "D...Deadbeats?"

"Exactly what I just said."

Chazz sighed. "It's always gotta be the hard way, doesn't it?" He uncrossed his arms and reached into his other pocket.

"What do you mean?" Moran asked.

"Listen, old man." Chazz slammed his deck onto the glass top. "You're giving us the run around and nobody's got time for that. So here's what gonna happen. You and me. Right now. You win, Syrus and I walk out of here and we pretend nothing happened. I win, you tell us _everything_ that went down at that meeting. No shortcuts, no equivocations, no lies. You got that?"

Moran scoffed. "And if I refuse?"

"Then we walk out that door behind us and I make a few phone calls," Chazz sneered. "It would be a shame if those sponsors you work so hard to hire refused to touch anyone under your management."

Moran's eyes practically bugged out of his head. "What!? How can you-!? Who _are_ you!?"

"The name Princeton mean anything to you?"

Moran's eyes bore into him.

"Chazz Princeton?" he whispered to himself.

It was only a few seconds, but Chazz felt like it took eternity before he finally gasped. "Calogero! Henry Princeton's kid!"

Chazz bore his teeth. "It's _Chazz,_ " he snarled.

Syrus' eyes widened. "Calogero? Henry?"

Moran swung his head to look at the other boy. "You don't know?" he asked.

"I-."

"Stop wasting my time and let's go already!" Chazz snapped.

"Fine." Moran opened a drawer in his desk. "The sooner we do this, the faster you two can get out of my office." He plucked a deck of cards out of the drawer, shuffled it, and then moved the coffee cup slightly to the side before placing the deck on top.

Syrus glanced at Chazz. "I'll just give you two some space." So he rose and walked towards the wall, leaning against it an angle that allowed him a clear view of the makeshift field.

"Duel." (Chazz: 4000 / Moran: 4000)

"I'll start," Moran announced, glancing over his hand. "I set a monster face down." He lay the card down accordingly. "Then, I'll set a card face down. It's your move."

 _Nothing special about that opening,_ Chazz thought to himself as he drew. Once he saw what he had drawn, he knew exactly what to do.

"I summon Armed Dragon LV. 3 in attack mode!" (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 900) And now, Armed Dragon LV. 3! Attack his face down monster! Armed Smash!" He snapped a finger forward.

"Uh, Chazz, you don't need to yell," Syrus pointed out.

"Huh?" It was then Chazz actually looked at his left arm. "...Uh, I-I-!"

"Used to wearing a Duel Disk?" Moran quipped. "Monster you destroyed was Crystal Seer." (ATK: 100 / DEF: 100) "In doing so, you triggered her effect. I can look at the top two cards of my deck, and add one to my hand. The other goes to the bottom of my deck." He did just that, looking between the two for a moment before adding one to his hand.

"Hmph. I set a card face-down and end my turn," Chazz concluded.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Calogero," Moran cautioned as he drew.

" _Chazz,"_ the boy whispered through ground teeth.

"I summon Aurora Wing in attack position!" Moran declared. (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 1600) "I attack your Armed Dragon LV 3!"

"Huh? But Aurora Wing has the same attack points as his Armed Dragon!" Syrus said, pitching forward.

"Desperate already?" Chazz quipped, sliding his dragon to the Graveyard.

"Far from it," Moran replied. "When Aurora Wing is destroyed, I can Special Summon it back from the Graveyard in attack position. So not only does it return to my field - I can now attack you directly!" (Chazz: 2800)

"Tch. That's it?" Chazz narrowed his eyes.

"I'm setting a card face down, and _then_ that's it."

"Don't think you're even close to out of the woods," Chazz taunted, drawing. "I activate my face down card, Call of the Haunted, to bring back my Armed Dragon LV. 3! But we won't be seeing too much of him, because I activate Level Up! So now, my dragon's gonna go through some growing pains. Come on out, Armed Dragon LV. 5!" He slapped the monster card onto the desk. (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 1700)

"Jeez, Chazz. You're just playing over a table top," Syrus reminded.

"You Duel your way, I'll Duel mine," Chazz cracked. "I attack your Aurora Wing with Armed Dragon LV. 5!" (Moran: 2800)

"Aurora Wing's effect activates," Moran said. And thus, the card remained.

"And so does Armed Dragon LV. 5's," Chazz replied. "So, welcome Armed Dragon LV. 7!" LV. 5 glided into the Graveyard, soon replaced by its bigger, stronger, and much more fearsome counterpart. (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 1000) "I end my turn."

"Gotta hand it to you, kid," Moran said. "You're better than I gave you credit for." He drew.

"So it'll be interesting to see what you do here," he continued. "I activate Pot of Greed and draw two cards. Next, I activate my Spell card, Soul Exchange! This will allow me to Tribute Summon a monster using _your_ Armed Dragon LV. 7 as a sacrifice. So now, I sacrifice Armed Dragon LV. 7 to summon Giga Gagagigo!"

Chazz beheld a monster card that looked like a lizard with silver, spiky body armor. (ATK: 2450 / DEF: 1500)

"Fortunately for you, Soul Exchange prevents me from attacking this turn, so I'll end my turn," Moran finished.

 _Okay,_ Chazz thought, drawing. _He just took one of my best monsters from me._ He then looked at what he just picked up. _But I come prepared. Always._

"I activate the Spell card, Enchanted Fitting Room!" he announced. "By paying 800 Life Points, I can look at the top four cards of my Deck and Special Summon any Level 3 or lower Normal Monsters I happen to pick up." (Chazz: 2200)

"Don't count on it, son," Moran replied. "I flip over my trap card, Magic Jammer!"

"What!?" Chazz cried.

"Aw man!" Syrus chimed.

"By discarding a card from my hand, I can negate your Enchanted Fitting Room and destroy it!" Moran set a card in his Graveyard, and Chazz was left with no choice but to put his card in his own.

 _Okay, there goes that plan,_ Chazz thought to himself. _He's definitely putting up a fight._ He then looked at his hand. _But when the Chazz gets kicked, the Chazz kicks back harder._

"I summon Ojama Blue in defense mode," he said. (ATK: 0 / DEF: 1000) "It's your turn now."

"That's your best defense?" Moran asked. "Guess I overestimated you, Calogero."

" _It's Chazz."_ The snarl was above a whisper, but still quiet. _How many times do I have to hear that name!?_

"Aurora Wing attacks your Ojama Blue!" Moran declared.

"Ojama Blue's effect activates!" Chazz cried. "When it's destroyed by battle, I can add two Ojama monsters from my deck to my hand." Fanning out the deck, he grabbed two of the creatures and added them in.

"What good are they going to do?" Moran asked. "My Giga Gagagigo can wipe your Life Points with one attack."

"I don't think so!" Chazz countered. "Activating trap card, Negate Attack!"

Moran gasped. It looked like he hadn't counted on that card being something that could cut him off in his tracks.

"I end my turn," he said.

 _It's weird not seeing the vortex suck the attack in,_ Chazz mused. _But that bought me a turn. I just hope something comes through._ "I draw."

And the hand of fate did, indeed, come through.

"I activate the King of the Swamp's effect!" he exclaimed. "By discarding him from my hand, I can add Polymerization to it." Setting the card into the Graveyard, he thumbed through his deck until he found what he was looking for and pulled it out. "And now, I activate it! So I fuse Ojama Yellow and Ojama Green to form Ojama Knight, in attack mode!" (ATK: 0 / DEF: 2500)

Moran crossed his arms. "Let me guess. You got something to compensate for his lack of attack points."

"Oh, it will more than compensate," Chazz replied. "I activate Ojama Knight's effect. It renders two of your monster spaces useless."

"That's your idea of compensation?" Moran asked condescendingly.

"No, _this is._ " He slapped down a card. "I activate the Field Spell, Ojama Country! Now, as long as I control an Ojama monster, the attack and defense points of all monsters on the field are flipped!"

"So that means-!" Moran's eyes widened.

"Your Giga Gagagigo is about to be Gaga-gone," Chazz said. (Ojama Knight ATK: 2500, Giga Gagagigo ATK: 1700) "Ojama Knight, attack!"

(Moran: 2000)

"I set three cards face down and end my turn," Chazz finished.

"Oh, I'm not throwing in the towel yet," Moran sneered. "I activate my Spell card, Different Dimension Deepsea Trench! Now, I can remove one Water monster from my Graveyard, hand, or field from the game. And it stays banished... so long as this card remains face up."

"Oh no!" Syrus whispered.

"And I'll do that right now! De-Spell! Now, I'll destroy my Deepsea Trench, and Special Summon Gogiga Gagagigo!" (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2950 per Ojama Country)

Chazz's eyes widened. It was close, but that was just a few points enough to take out his Knight!

"So now, Gogiga Gagagigo attacks your Ojama Knight!" Moran declared.

"Not so fast!" Chazz interjected, flipping over a card. "I play De-Fusion, splitting Ojama Knight back into two Ojama monsters. So here are Ojama Yellow and Ojama Green!" He slid them onto his side.

"And now, I'll play my trap," he continued. "The League of Uniform Noclamenture! I'll keep it simple; I select one of my Ojamas on my field, and I can Special Summon two more copies! So here come two more Ojama Yellows in defense mode!"

" _Three_ of me!?" the yellow Duel Spirit cried out. "Have you got other copies of Black and Green? I knew it! I knew you loved us!"

 _He better be grateful I don't have a flyswatter,_ Chazz mentally groaned.

"Doesn't matter. Aurora Wing and Gogiga Gagagigo attack two of your Ojama Yellows!" Moran said. "It was a clever stall, but that's all it is. A stall. Next turn, I'll have your monsters wiped out and a clear shot at your Life Points.

Just face it, Calogero. I've won."

A snarl ripped across his vocal chords. "Don't _call me that_ ," he growled. "I'm...I'm _Chazz!_ " He swiped off the top card in a jerking, furious motion, and looked at it.

"Uh, boss?" Ojama Green asked. "Yellow's on the verge of extinction. You got anything?"

As if to emphasize the point, Ojama Yellow shrunk away, as if he expected the spirit of Aurora Wing to pick him up in its beak, his orange lips quivering.

For a moment, Chazz was quiet. And then, that familiar cocky grin came over his face.

"You know," Chazz said. "I've heard you're a pretty cut-throat manager. But I learned one other thing about you today, Moran."

"And that is?" Moran raised an eyebrow.

"You're a lousy Duelist," Chazz replied. "I activate my Spell card, Level Modulation! And here's what's gonna happen. First, you draw two cards, and I get to Special Summon a monster with LV in its name from my Graveyard. And last I checked, you sent one there a few turns ago. So, welcome back my Armed Dragon LV. 7!" (ATK: 1000, DEF: 2800 per Ojama Country)

"I think the pressure's getting to you," Moran replied smugly. "Even with Ojama Country, my Gogiga Gagagigo is stronger."

"I wasn't finished," Chazz said. "You're not gonna see him for much longer, because I'm Tributing him."

"Tribute?" Moran asked.

"That's right," Chazz affirmed. "Because with his sacrifice, I can Special Summon Armed Dragon LV. 10!" (ATK: 2000 / DEF: 3000)

"You're still 800 points short, son," Moran pointed out. "What are you doing?"

"Activating Armed Dragon LV. 10's effect. By discarding one card in my hand, I can destroy all monsters you control."

"No way!" Moran shouted.

Chazz ignored it, adding a card to the Graveyard.

"I attack you directly with Armed Dragon LV. 10!" Chazz declared.

"Go, Drowning Mirror Force!" Moran flipped his face down up. "Since you declared a direct attack, this trap forces you to shuffle all of your face up attack position monsters into your Deck. Looks like we're not...ah!? Seven Tools of the Bandit!?"

"For 1000 Life Points, your Drowning Mirror Force goes bye bye," Chazz said. "Game over, Moran." (Chazz: 1200, Moran: 0)

For a moment, Moran's face was frozen in an expression Chazz could only liken to an anvil being dropped on his desk. Chazz couldn't tell how long his face held that look. A minute? Several minutes?

"I'm impressed," he finally said. His expression faltered into cool cordiality. "Which school?"

"Duel Academy," Syrus answered, uncrossing his reapproaching the desk. "We're both going into our third years."

"Okay, enough with the chit chat," Chazz cut in. "I won, so pay up."

"Hmph. I am a man of my word, and you won fairly, so I'll tell you everything," Moran promised. Syrus sat down, leaning towards him intently. Chazz crossed his arms and a single leg, and leaned back.

"...It was him versus Myon Sapsas," Moran relayed. "Kid didn't go down without a fight, but even the worst student at your school should have been able to beat Sapsas. That was his eleventh loss after a ten Duel losing streak. So, I called him, said I wanted to discuss his performance."

"Where did you meet?" Chazz asked.

"There's a cafe not far from my office. We met there."

"What did you say to Zane?" Syrus finally asked. Something in the way he leaned closer looked tense, like he was preparing for something.

Moran glanced at Syrus, eyes wide. "I basically told him he wasn't cutting it under me and -."

" _What_ did you say to my brother?" The boy's voice was weighed by desperation.

 _Is...is that a crazy look in his eyes!?_ Chazz wondered fearfully. _He's gonna grab him by the collar!_

Moran stared at Syrus, a deer facing a starving coyote wearing headlights. Finally, he sighed without a collar grab. "...I reminded him we only hire the best Duelists in the world. When we took him, we expected a champion, but...well, we got him instead. And I told him I didn't pay for failure."

"Then what happened?" Chazz asked.

"I paid and walked out," Moran replied. "Zane was still sitting there when I left. Was quiet during all that conversation. Looked like a kicked dog."

Syrus' face fell significantly at the last few words.

 _Duel Academy's kaiser a kicked dog?_ Chazz thought. "And you didn't see or hear where he went after that?"

He threw his hands outward. "Who do you think I am, his father? I don't know where he went! I don't know where anyone goes after I fire them!" He huffed, setting his arms down. "Look, kids, you know this. Professional Dueling isn't all fun and games. If you can't cut it, you get cut. It's as simple as that. Zane brought all of his losses on himself, so I don't know why you think I had anything to do with this. Besides, he was a loser before, and now he's got his momentum back, so-."

" _You're wrong."_

Chazz swung his head to his companion. His head had craned towards the carpet, his hands balled into fists so tight, they could have cracked with more pressure. Through his azure hair, Chazz could see it: Syrus' teeth were ground together, lips curled in...anger. So too were the tremors that rippled through his body.

Moran looked back at Syrus. "Excuse me?"

Syrus' head shot straight up to stare him in his eyes. "My brother _isn't a loser!_ "

Then, as if a string attached to it had been forcefully jerked back, the coffee mug flew into the air, whistling past Moran and rocketing towards the wall behind him. Chazz and Syrus shot upright, gasping. Before Moran could even complete turning in his chair, the mug pounded against the wall, a _crack_ resounding through the office. As it descended towards the ground, half of the cup fell away from the rest, the remains swan diving into the carpet with a soft thud.

Moran stared at the carnage for only a moment, then slowly turned back towards the boys.

"...What was that?" There was a slight sliver of fear in his tone now.

"Ah! I-I'm...!" Syrus' hand flew to his mouth, eyes wide with horror.

 _Aaaaaaaand that's our cue to leave._ Chazz stood up, grabbing Syrus by the shoulder. "Well, we got what we came here for, so we're out of here."

He sharply turned his back towards the manager, walking towards the door.

"Chazz," Moran called.

Chazz stopped cold just a few feet away.

"...I'm sorry about your father," Moran finally said.

Chazz just continued walking without acknowledging the words. However, just before he got to the door, he noticed it. Something...or rather someone was missing. He turned back. It was then he saw Syrus staring at the walls, wide eyes locked onto something.

"Syrus," Chazz called.

"Duel...abroad?" Syrus' mind had clearly left the room. When Chazz looked, he realized what had led it astray. There was a white poster on the wall with every continent drawn in royal blue, and darker blue text drawing his eyes to read.

 **LOVE TRAVEL?**

 **FIGHT. WIN. DUEL ABROAD.**

Chazz blinked. _The heck? What's going on with this kid?_

He just pulled Syrus away and out the door, shutting it behind him. Suddenly, he heard a trio of voices in his ear.

"Way to go, Boss!"

"We sure showed that knucklehead, didn't we!?"

"And we got some juicy stuff out of that guy!"

Chazz growled. "I told you guys to _be quiet._ "

"Only during that talk!" Ojama Yellow said. "And I see we're not talking to him anymore!"

"Yeah, but you just _had_ to break that guy's coffee mug, didn't you?" he snapped.

"Uh...boss?" Ojama Yellow said.

"What?"

"That wasn't me."

Chazz glanced at the other two Ojamas.

"Uh-uh." Ojama Black shook his head.

"Not guilty as charged!" Ojama Green objected.

Chazz's brow knit in confusion. "So none of you threw the mug?"

"Nope!" they all chimed in unison.

Chazz turned to look at Syrus, who seemed to have come back to Earth, but was now quiet.

 _Huh...weird is an understatement._

* * *

 **I gotta tell you, fam. Writing Duels is definitely not for the faint of heart. That said, it's always satisfying seeing the finished product and then having my betas clear it out. But most satisfying? Interrogating the manager the anime gave us. Is it obvious I wanted the Hell Kaiser arc to come to a more complete circle?**

 **This chapter was dedicated to Father of Armed Dragons, but let's not forget about my other two betas from Lothlorien: Kristine Angela Booth and Arwen! Arwen and the Father don't have accounts here, but Kristine Angela Booth does, so be sure to check her out!**

 **If you made it to the end of this chapter and liked it, be sure to favorite and follow the story, and definitely make sure to leave a review before you go. That was Chapter 8, "Can I Speak To The Ex-Manager?", and I'll see you all next chapter!**

 **Thank you for following _Hand of Sorrow!_**


	9. One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

**Hey guys, and welcome back to another chapter of** _ **Hand of Sorrow!**_ **Holy wow. Trying to write this chapter** _ **and**_ **move to a whole new state? Not exactly a walk in a moonlit park. But, I was able to crank this out despite it! I know I'm sporadic with updating, but if I'm away for even longer, bear with me as I get to my new home. I'll still write where I have time in both fics currently in progress.**

 **All right, I've rambled enough. Now buckle up, put your tray tables up, and your seats in the full upright position, 'cause we're flying over Chapter 9!**

 **Yu-Gi-Oh! GX is (c) Kazuki Takahashi. I also don't own Led Zeppelin or "Black Dog".**

* * *

 **Chapter IX**

 **One Step Forward, Two Steps Back**

Chazz pushed the main door open and walked out, Syrus in tow.

 _So Zane gets the boot and cracks just like that, huh?_ he thought. _That would make sense. But…_

" _Calogero_?" Syrus asked.

Chazz turned, glaring at him. "You call me that again and my Ojamas will make sure you never sleep again."

Syrus quirked a sly smile at him and then shrugged. "I dunno. You've just always been Chazz to me. It's funny to know your real name."

"How about you _don't_ broadcast that information?" He narrowed his eyes.

"Uh, so, what did Moran mean back there?" Syrus asked. "About your dad? Did you-?"

"Look, Syrus. If I tell you, you're gonna get all weepy and blubbering about how sorry you are. Save your pity for someone who actually wants it."

Syrus blinked, processing what Chazz just told him, but then turned to look back at the street.

"Should I have at least known who he was?" he asked.

Chazz was about to tell him to drop it when Moran's words flashed across his mind.

" _Calogero! Henry Princeton's kid!"_

 _I guess that's an innocent enough question,_ Chazz mused. "No. He was an art dealer. Made millions doing it. Also curated the Domino Museum of Art for a while. If you weren't into that, there was no reason for you to know."

"How long ago?" Syrus asked.

 _...No sense in dodging it now,_ Chazz relented. "Last year. Creutzfeldt-Jakob."

Syrus knit his brow. "Bless you?"

"Brain disorder," Chazz explained. "Think of Alzheimer's, but on steroids. Very rare."

"Oh my gosh." Syrus' eyes widened. "...Wait. What about your mom?"

"Dunno. She left when I was three. Been out of my life for as long as I can remember."

"Chazz-."

" _Don't_ make me regret telling you." Chazz narrowed his dark eyes at his companion.

Syrus blinked, then nodded in acknowledgment, returning his eyes to the street.

 _...Ah_ _ **crap**_ , Chazz thought. "And your old man?"

"He was thirty-two," Syrus corrected matter-of-factly. "And, well…" He trailed off, as if he was trying to figure out the best way to put it.

"I don't know all the details. All I know was that it was a mass arrest gone bad. Someone got a hold of someone else's weapon. Next thing anyone knew, he was shot in the neck. Hit him in the carotid artery."

Chazz's eyes grew as wide as a fanned out cobra. He hadn't expected _murder._ Losing a parent at a young age was one thing, but for that loss to come in such a violent fashion… He knew what people said when they found out about stuff like this. But the words lingered in the doorways of his mind, confused and uncertain.

Still, he wanted to know something.

"Did you throw that coffee mug?" Chazz asked.

"What the- of course not!" Syrus protested.

"Then what was that back there?" Chazz turned towards him. "First, you're telling off Moran, next thing we know, he's missing his afternoon coffee."

"Maybe it was one of your Ojamas," Syrus suggested.

"Nope. They pestered me on the way out. They all deny it."

"Huh?" Syrus' eyes widened. "So-so a taxi rams into an invisible wall, coffee mugs are flying..." He glanced off to the side. "And we've got people dropping like flies. I don't even know what's going on anymore."

"And what was with that Dueling abroad poster back there?" he asked.

"Hm? Uh, it was nothing." Syrus grinned sheepishly.

Chazz perked an eyebrow, but shrugged. "Better let the others know we're coming back."

Syrus nodded and the two of them flipped their earpieces back on.

"Guys?" Syrus called.

"Oh, hey!" Alexis said.

"Syrus? Chazz?" Janda asked.

"We're out," Chazz said.

"Did you get anything out of Moran?" Janda pressed.

"Well, we got something," Syrus said. "It doesn't answer what's causing the comas, but it definitely says something about the night of Zane's last match."

"Talk to us."

"After his eleventh loss, Moran fired Zane," Chazz relayed. "Called him a failure, and walked out on him."

" _Ouch."_ Chazz could see Jaden wincing.

"You sure he was telling the absolute truth on that?" Janda asked.

"He gave us the runaround a few times, but he came clean once I Dueled him," Chazz said.

"Dueled him?"

"If I won, he talked to us, if I lost, we left," Chazz clarified.

"...You got him to talk after playing a card game?"

"You'd be surprised at the feats we've been able to pull off because of it," Hassleberry said.

"Are you sure he wasn't lying somewhere in his statement?" Janda pressed. "After the Duel?"

"Well, he mentioned that they spoke in a cafe not far from the office," Syrus said. "We're still here. We could corroborate that."

"Leave it to me," Bastion interjected.

"Are you hacking again?" Chazz asked. "Where did you even learn how to do this?"

"Self-taught." Bastion's voice carried a mischievousness to it.

Chazz grimaced. "Are you sure you didn't just cheat your way through Duel Academy? With those quadratic formulas and nerdy crap?"

"Let's put it this way. If I had, they would have expelled me my first day," Bastion replied.

"I'm taking Cassie up on her offer," Janda said. "I'm heading to the department. Got some stuff for forensics."

"Forensics!?" Jaden cried. "Did you find something?"

Janda laughed. "Clothes."

"Clothes?" Chazz could almost see Jaden's disappointed and confused face in his mind.

"Trace evidence," Hassleberry explained. "Wherever they were, their battle gear mighta picked up fibers or other stuff they would have been in contact with."

Syrus' eyes widened. "Whoa, I didn't know you were into forensics, Hassleberry."

"Mama's NCIS. Works with forensic scientists all the time."

In that moment, a flash of yellow caught his attention. A taxi. Chazz started waving his hand like a pendulum unregulated.

"How long will you be at the forensics lab, Janda?" Syrus asked.

"I locked the door to the apartment," Janda replied. "But it shouldn't be too long. I'll tell you when I'm on my way back, and you can come."

"Okay," Syrus replied. "We'll get everyone else caught up and go from there."

"Meet you back soon."

The taxi pulled up right as the conversation ended. Syrus and Chazz hopped in and rolled out back to Domino Plaza. Chazz stole one more glance at Syrus as the car cruised through the town.

 _He strapped you up to shock collars, electrocuted you repeatedly, insulted you harder than most Obelisks do, and left you for dead. And yet, here you are, trying to get him to turn around and come back to you._

His dark eyes moved to the side, fixed on the azure sky.

 _It was a lot easier to understand you as a Slifer Red._

Bastion's laptop clicked as the top half met the keyboard. "Moran checks out. He met Zane at Terra's Terrain Cafe at eight pm the night of his last match in the amateurs."

"Did you get any sound through the cameras?" Alexis asked. "Hear anything?"

Bastion shook his head. "No audio on the footage. Tried another camera pointing in their direction, but couldn't make out what Moran was saying."

Though Jaden paid heed, Chazz's testimony spun around and around in his head.

" _After his eleventh loss, Moran fired Zane. Called him a failure and walked out on him."_

Jaden's eyes fell to the table. _The guy graduated at the top of his class three times in a row. That's no failure._

" _Called him a failure and walked out on him."_

 _Moran walked away? Just like that?_ Jaden mused. _I mean, I know they all want wins, but is it really that cut-throat in the Pros? This guy obviously doesn't know Zane like we -_

 _Stop it,_ the back of his mind snarled. _You don't know him anymore and he's peachy being this way._

 _Still,_ Jaden countered.

 _Still what? Guy called him a failure and he flipped. Simple._

 _No. No. Something about this is still off._

"Private Rhodes, Private Misawa, on your six," Hassleberry said.

Jaden perked his head up to see Syrus and Chazz walking back towards them.

"Kids?" Janda called over the earpieces.

"The privates are reporting back for duty," Hassleberry explained.

"Good. I'm on my way back. The test is going to take a few hours, so we'll have to pursue some different leads until then. Should be back in fifteen."

"Okay, we'll see you in a bit." Jaden got to his feet and walked towards Chazz and Syrus. The others followed him, all six teens congregating in the middle of the plaza.

"Hey, Janda's coming back," Jaden announced. "We should get going."

"Uh, we all heard that." Chazz tapped his earpiece and started walking ahead. The others began trailing him, Jaden and Syrus bringing up the rear.

"Hey, Jaden?" Syrus whispered. "While Chazz and I were leaving the office, I remembered something about what we were talking about earlier. About Zane being out of the country."

Jaden's eyes widened. "Oh yeah! What'd you remember?"

"Zane had gone abroad because he had joined some kind of international Dueling program," Syrus said. "... _Now_ I remember. Mom was freaking out over letting him fly alone and Dad went over every safety technique in the book with him!"

Jaden's eyes widened. "Whoa, an international Dueling program? For real?"

Syrus nodded in acknowledgement.

 _Man,_ Jaden thought. _I wouldn't mind going on an international Dueling prog-_ "Wait a sec. Did you just say he went alone!? As a nine-year-old kid!?"

"Yeah," Syrus replied.

 _Mom and Dad definitely wouldn't have let that fly,_ Jaden thought. "So, where did he go?"

"Uh…" Syrus searched the sky for an answer. "Ahh, I can't remember." He shook his head. "Just that it was someplace weird."

"Pegasus took inspiration from the stone tablets in Egypt. Maybe Zane went there?" Jaden suggested.

"No, that doesn't sound right. Why can't I remember!?"

"Sy, it was eons ago. Plus, with what happened after that, you were probably overwhelmed, and it all went out the window."

"Yeah." Syrus shrugged in agreement.

Then, Jaden remembered what Syrus said to him just before Hanzo dropped them off.

" _My brother wasn't home when Dad left for work that night. He had been gone for a while. I don't remember where he was, other than he was out of the country and didn't know until he got home the morning after."_

 _...Oh no._

The image rumbled through his mind, and his whole body went numb. What if Hanzo had been waiting for him instead of Emma waiting for Zane? What if he had to tell him that Amara had been-?

Jaden shook his head. Six Shadow Riders (including their leader) and Sartorius, and _that_ was too much. _Mom's at work. Dad's at home. Mom's at work…_

In the middle of sifting through those thoughts, however, something returned to him. Something he had wondered, but still didn't know.

"Maybe that's where Janda knows Zane!" Jaden proposed. "He could have been a part of that somehow!"

"That doesn't make sense," Syrus said. "Janda barely knows Duel Monsters. He couldn't have known about that."

"Are you _sure_ Zane didn't mention him to you?"

Syrus shook his head. "If he did mention it, I can't remember that either." He sighed. "I wonder if Mom knows him somehow?"

Jaden's eyes widened. _If she does…!_ All too quickly though, his face fell. _Who knows when we'll know?_

"Maybe." Jaden decided to leave his answer at that, and continued back towards Cypress Falls with his friends.

When the teens filed into the apartment, a popping noise burst from the kitchen. Looking over, Jaden noted three rectangular, brightly colored cardboard boxes lined up on the island. Janda tore away a piece of orange cardboard before facing them.

"Brought back some drinks if you want some," he said. He tossed the torn piece towards a silver trash can, and it descended into the dark bag.

"Oh _sweet_!" Jaden wormed past Bastion and Hassleberry. A couple minutes later, the gang were all seated in chairs or the couch, some with refreshments and some without. Jaden started chewing on a cinnamon roll as Janda came to the center of the seating area.

"Janda, before you start, he's not allowed to question people anymore." Chazz pointed at Syrus. "He breaks stuff!"

Syrus, who had just taken a swig of cola, turned towards him indignantly. "I _did_ _not_ break that coffee mug and you know it!"

"Man, Syrus," Jaden said through a cinnamon roll. "I didn't know you could be such a good bad cop."

Syrus groaned. Janda eyed both boys strangely, but he pressed ahead, pacing the seating area.

"A neighbor of Fiarao's saw him come back to the apartment after nine pm the night he went into a coma," Janda said. "Since we had this happen with Tablo and Mativi, I expected the neighbor to say he was trying to hide his whereabouts. That wasn't the case."

The gang pitched forward simultaneously, curiosities spiking.

"Neighbor described Fiarao as looking like a kicked dog," Janda continued. "He was wearing his Duel Disk, but his deck was missing. When he asked what happened, Fiarao didn't acknowledge him. He just went straight back up to his apartment."

Jaden's head shot straight up. "Wait. His deck was missing?"

"His words," Janda affirmed.

Alexis blinked. "Rafé told me to hide his deck after he wrapped up that Duel with Zane. If Zane was Simon's last Duel…"

"Then where did the deck go AWOL to?" Hassleberry finished. "Doesn't sound like Zane's the card snatchin' type."

Syrus nodded. "Even as he is now, I don't think he would do that."

"And what about Bridget Partachiso?" Bastion asked.

"Doorman saw her cab pull up to the apartment at eight fifteen," Janda reported. "She didn't talk to him, barely even looked at him, but he said she looked like she had been crying. Her deck wasn't with her either."

Jaden and Syrus both gasped.

"Her too!?" Jaden exclaimed. "We saw her Duel that night!"

"Yeah, and that deck was definitely with her when she walked out!" Syrus added.

"So we have four Pro Leaguers in comas, two of whom have their decks probably taken away from them, one who passes his deck to Alexis to hide, and all four of them had their last Duel with Zane," Bastion calculated. "...Syrus. Are you absolutely sure Zane didn't do anything to those decks?"

"As sure as I am that what Moran said didn't turn my brother into this," Syrus replied.

That caught the attention of everyone in the room, and the remaining teens all turned their eyes to their short friend.

"And how are you sure, soldier?" Hassleberry asked.

Syrus was quiet for a moment, as if pondering how to put his thoughts into words. Then, his fingers pressed against the now emptied can, the metal crunching and distorting into itself in his small hand.

"Because Zane isn't that fragile," Syrus finally said.

"Uh, Sy?" Jaden prodded. "Those...uh, things that you wore because of him?" He bit his tongue before the word "electrodes" could get out. No way Janda could know about those. At least, for now.

"Syrus has a point," Janda said, seating himself in the chair across from them. He put his fist to his mouth, falling into pensiveness.

"Did Zane ever fall into a self-defeating mode?" he finally asked.

Syrus' eyes widened. "Self-defeating?"

"Did he talk about himself negatively to you or your mom at all?" Janda clarified. "Did he feel guilty for the losing streak? Anything like that?"

"I know he talked to Mom after that first loss," Syrus explained. "She mentioned that he was thrown off a little, but I don't know much beyond that."

"And to you?"

Syrus pondered this for a moment. "...I didn't have much of a chance to speak to him during all of this." Syrus's eyes darted downward, his expression unreadable.

"According to the victims' Dueling logs Bastion was able to access, all of those Duels occurred at night," Janda said. "Partachiso's deck disappeared some time between seven fifty-four pm and eight fifteen, and Fiarao's between eight twenty-eight and nine pm. If we can get those samples back from forensics, not only could we find out where Zane Dueled them, but we may also be able to narrow down where the decks went too."

"What about Private Mativi?" Hassleberry asked. "No one said anything about his deck goin' AWOL."

"That was my next question," Janda replied. "A couple of my old friends from the force went to Mativi's apartment as first responders and to figure out what happened. There were no signs of robbery, and the deck was hiding in a sock drawer."

Jaden raised an eyebrow. "A sock drawer?"

Alexis opened her mouth to say something when two knocks reverberated against the apartment door. The teens all looked at each other, confusion evident on all faces.

"Janda, are you taking on another case?" Syrus asked.

"No." Janda walked towards the door, his hand reaching behind his back and his wrist nudging his leather jacket up just slightly. Though he was close to the door at this point, Jaden saw his fingers curl around something in light brown leather that was poking out of his back jean pocket…

It had just hit Jaden what it was when Janda opened the door.

"Can I help you?" the private investigator asked.

"Yeah, I'm looking for one Lexi Rhodes? Blonde, yay high, the Sissy to my Bro Bro?"

Alexis' head spun towards the entrance, her mouth slightly agape.

"Atticus!?"

Atticus Rhodes sidled past Janda, flicking his mahogany hair, which had been tied into a low ponytail, off of his right shoulder. He was garbed in a grey T-shirt, the collar to the chest splashed with a dark blue tye-dye pattern, khaki cargo shorts, and black flip flops.

"You know him?" Janda asked, closing the door.

"Yeah, he's my brother." Alexis stood up, setting her glass of water on the coffee table. "What are you doing here?"

"You told me you were working with a PI on this Zane thing," Atticus said. "I just wanted to see what the skinny was, so I knocked on a few doors and annoyed a couple other PIs until I finally got this one."

"Oh cool! You want to help out too?" Jaden asked.

"Uh-." Atticus raised both eyebrows.

"Or...not?" Syrus asked.

"Your sister comes home with somebody else's Deck, mentions that the guy she's got a-." Atticus cut himself off, his eyes darting away from the group for a second. "Uh, a guy she knows nearly wound up in the morgue, and she says that a Pro League Duelist just shoved his deck into her hands and told her to hide it?" His brown eyes glanced at Alexis. "Can you blame me for being a little curious, Lex?"

"I told you what we were doing, Atticus," Alexis countered, irritation flaring in her tone.

"And I told you it's a fool's errand."

" _Atticus._ " Alexis stepped forward, her hands clenched in fists. The boys flinched back. They had seen Alexis get incensed. However, the tone in her voice threatened to bite Atticus' ear off.

"Hey, at ease, soldiers!" Hassleberry threw his arm out. "What's with the civil war about to go down?"

"Sounds like you two have got some sibling rivalry to work out," Janda quipped, motioning towards the door.

Alexis glanced at Janda for a moment, and then her eyes darted over to her brother. Her gaze sharpened into a glare at him, but she nonetheless stepped towards him. Janda stepped back to allow her through the door, at which point Atticus looked at the private investigator.

"So, uh, how _is_ this investigation going?" he asked.

"Ask her." Janda cocked his head towards Alexis as she approached them, sliding between them into the hall.

"Nothing personal." Atticus cracked a smile at Janda before ducking into the hall behind his sister. Janda closed the door, and approached the remaining gang.

"We'll get Alexis caught up when she gets back," he said.

Syrus leaned in towards Jaden, his mouth an inch from his ear.

"Think it has anything to do with…?" Syrus held up his arm to finish his thought.

" _Definitely,"_ Jaden whispered.

Alexis crossed her arms, her eyes fixed on Atticus'.

"I'm not giving this up," Alexis said sternly.

"I wanna find out what Zane's problem is as much as you do," Atticus reassured. "But this guy told you to tell people that his deck was nowhere to be found? Don't tell me that's not suspicious."

"I know, it's weird," Alexis replied. "But I faced Shadow Riders and the Society of Light -."

"You were _brainwashed_!" Atticus reminded her. "And unlike you, Zane wasn't - make that _isn't!_ I don't know what happened, but that was a choice he made!"

"Syrus said it himself just now. Zane isn't that fragile. _Something_ happened to him!"

Atticus held his hands out. "Sis, I don't know what the schtick is with Zane and the deck, but he's dangerous."

"You act as if I don't know this. I know about the Duel between him and Syrus."

"Which is why you gotta come home. Get me up to speed, _I'll_ work with this guy and your friends."

"Atticus-."

"Lex, _please._ For my peace of mind."

She sighed. "This isn't just about finding out what happened to Zane. This is about helping my friend." Her eyes locked back onto Atticus'. " _Your_ friend. The PI knows him too."

"What?" Atticus asked. "Knows him?"

"He said he knows Zane."

"How?"

It was only then it hit Alexis. Janda had said nothing about _where_ he knew their dearest friend. Every time the question had been asked, the answer retreated into the shadows under the cover of an interruption.

"I...well," she started.

"And by the way, this _really_ about helping Zane? Or kicking his trash?" Atticus stepped forward.

Alexis' eyes widened. "What?"

"I know you're still hurting over him not -."

She felt something in her chest twist painfully. "It's not about that." Alexis stepped towards her brother. "Pro League Duelists are going into comas and all signs point to Zane!"

"All the more reason you shouldn't get involved!" Atticus' voice crescendoed slightly, emphasizing his desperation. "You know Mom and Dad are never gonna recover if something happens to you. You told me how they were when I was gone."

Alexis froze as her brother's words penetrated her brain. The last sentence coursed through her viciously as memories, dusty with time, resurfaced. She had known grief since she was a child. Her father went into work daily to be a balm to the wounds it left, her mother to exhume the source. However, the day Lowell and Olivia Rhodes got that phone call was the day Alexis' relationship with grief became much more personal. Like a ball and chain, it followed her into Duel Academy and around every corridor she turned. The thought of her own mother having to perform an autopsy on her energetic, hare-brained, but nonetheless beloved brother often caused her to reel with nausea. Still, Alexis pressed on, following the faint glimmer of hope's light.

Those two years of never-ending grief were distant lifetimes ago. And if Alexis had truly learned anything during that, grief left scars unlike anything the sharpest knife could carve.

"I know, Atty. I know. But if I don't stay involved, something's gonna happen to those Duelists, and something could happen to Zane. Something already happened to his mom."

With that, she grabbed the door handle and twisted it. Before Atticus could say something, the door clicked shut behind her, and she threw the lock.

"Everything okay?" Janda asked.

"Yeah." Alexis walked back towards the chair she had been sitting in. "He's just trying to look out for me."

"Nice brother," Janda replied.

Alexis sat. "What did I miss?"

"Not much," Bastion said. "With Moran cleared and we still don't know where Partachiso and Fiarao Dueled Zane, we're back at square one."

"So let's get out of the square," Janda said. "Are we sure there's no way to confirm through your source where the others were, Bastion?"

"I've checked every nook and cranny. Nothing."

The other teens groaned, but Janda's focused expression didn't falter an inch. Even his spine remained erected; the Chrysler Building would have wilted in his shadow.

"You all have been in tight situations in Duels, right?" Janda asked.

"Affirmative," Hassleberry replied, with the others chorusing in agreement.

"And in those situations, that's where it mattered most?"

" _Oh yeah_." Jaden nodded.

"What did you do in said tight situations?"

"Draw another card," Jaden answered immediately. "And usually that was when I got a card that pulled me out of a not so sweet situation."

"Let's not ignore the fact you're scarily lucky," Alexis added.

"We may be dry on clues," Janda continued. "We may have gone back a few steps. But even so, this is our miracle draw."

He slammed his fist into his palm. "Even if we don't find anything else today, we can't give up our search!"

His voice remained at room volume, but the words vibrated in Alexis' bones. The conviction was something she'd expect from a podium in front of the state capital building, not some meager apartment that felt more like a glorified office than a home.

 _This guy should be police chief, not just a PI,_ she thought. _Still, he's right. We can't just give up because we don't have any more -_

Suddenly, music blared into the room, muffled, but loud enough to make her and her companions jump just slightly. Janda darted his gaze to her just as she realized where it was coming from. Alexis reached into her pocket, the vibrating of her cell phone reverberating in her pocket.

"Is that Led Zeppelin?" Bastion inquired.

"Yep." Alexis stared at the caller ID as "Black Dog" shredded along. "Sorry, I need to take this."

"Go ahead," Janda encouraged.

Alexis stood up, walking back towards the kitchen. Seeing a minuscule hall off to the side with two doors (leading into the bedroom and bathroom, she presumed), she tucked herself into it before finally answering the call.

"Atticus." The conversation they had earlier sharpened his name on her tongue.

"Lexi, hallelujah! You and your friends better get down here!"

The desperation in his tone disarmed her. "Are you okay?"

"I am, but someone else isn't! She just collapsed in front of me!"

Alexis' eyes widened. "Collapsed!?" she whispered. "Wait. Has she got a Duel Disk on her?"

"Yeah," Atticus replied. "...Oh no. You don't think-?"

"Does she still have her deck?"

"Yeah, she's got it."

"Have you called 911 yet?"

"I have."

"Where are you?"

"We're in the plaza. She's getting crowded, what's going on?" Atticus asked.

"Remember the time!" Alexis slammed the end call button. With what had just happened, there was no time for formal, polite goodbyes. The clomping of her sneakers alerted her companions to her return, and they looked straight at her.

"Alexis?" Chazz asked. He must have seen the wild look in her eyes.

"There's been another victim," Alexis explained. "Atticus is in the plaza -."

Janda was gunning for the door before she finished her sentence. The others shot straight after him, wolves following their alpha.

Jaden could hear the chatter before the group stepped foot into Domino Plaza. Another otherwise healthy woman had collapsed in a public place.

 _That's five people now,_ he calculated. _Five people Zane sent to the hospital in comas._

 _One was too many,_ the back of his mind whispered.

 _Does he know?_

 _He left Syrus lying there. What do you think!?_

"There." Out of the corner of his eye, Janda pointed straight ahead.

Jaden silenced his vagrant thoughts by looking at the people congregated just twenty-five feet from the clock fountain.

"Get back! Paramedics are on the way!" a voice shouted.

"Atticus!" Alexis called. As people began to disperse, she ran towards the congested area.

"Alexis!" Syrus cried. "Ack, wait up!" He darted after her, and Jaden followed his best friend in tandem.

"Excuse me."

"Comin' through."

"Sorry! Sorry!"

The three friends chorused apologies as they fought their way through the crowd. Eventually, Jaden burst forward, arms flailing as he tried to regain his balance. Fortunately, he seized momentum and quickly stood upright to view the situation. Beside Syrus and Alexis, a young woman who couldn't have been too much older than them lay flat on her back, eyes closed and collarbone length blonde hair sprawled against the square floor. Atticus' tanned hands were perched on top of each other on her white tank top and green vest, repeatedly pressing into her chest.

 _CPR,_ Jaden quickly realized.

"Atticus!" Alexis called.

"Little-busy-here!" Atticus grunted between each press, desperate to elicit a cough, a twitch - _anything_ close to a sign of life.

Alexis approached and knelt on the other side. Grabbing her hand, she brought it up and pressed her fingers into the woman's wrist.

"She's got a pulse!" she cried.

 _Where are those paramedics!?_ Jaden wondered.

"PARAMEDICS! MOVE!"

Like the Red Sea of biblical times, the crowd opened up behind the teens, a small team of EMTs rushing in tandem towards them.

"Step away from the patient!" the EMT in front, a man in his thirties, shouted.

Atticus and Alexis immediately scuttled away from the woman. As the crowd dispersed back into the plaza, Jaden and Syrus followed the siblings out to regroup with the rest of the squad. Janda awaited them, having watched the situation unfold.

"Who is she?" Janda asked.

"Don't know," Alexis said.

"She didn't tell me," Atticus said.

All eyes turned to the older Rhodes.

"You jacked jaws with her?" Hassleberry asked.

"I had just made it into the plaza when she walked up to me," Atticus explained. "She was askin' me if I saw a Duelist with blue hair and in all black."

"Did she say how blue?" Janda asked.

"Yeah, teal," Atticus said.

 _Teal?_ That caught Jaden's attention.

"If we're to assume what we've been investigating happened…" Bastion's eyes widened. "That means-!" He hadn't finished his sentence before Alexis tore away from where she stood, charging for the northern way out of the square.

"Lex?" Atticus called.

"Alexis!?" Jaden shouted.

"Alexis!" Janda barked. He took straight off after her, the others following behind him.

* * *

 **Once again, heartfelt thanks to Kristine Angela Booth, Arwen, and The Father of Armed Dragons for their support in betaing. Arwen and the Father don't have accounts on here, but Kristine Angela Booth does, so be sure to go read her stuff and give her some love!**

 **Okay, since we're on betas, I gotta share a funny story. When the Father was reviewing this chapter, and he read Janda's line where he said, "you got him to talk after playing a card game?", the Father quipped, "Oh Janda, you must be new here...". XD**

 **Also, writing Atticus SUCKED. Trying to find that balance between goofy and protective older brother, man. Fortunately, I think I got it...I hope. O_O**

 **Thank you for following** ** _Hand of Sorrow!_**


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